It was setting up almost as best as Stacey Womack could hope.

Her South Effingham Lady Mustangs had the ball and a chance to tie the game in the final seconds against the No. 2-ranked Statesboro Lady Blue Devils. But Statesboro foiled South Effingham’s set play, and Tianna Germain’s 3-point heave at the buzzer missed, enabling the Lady Blue Devils basketball team to escape with a 57-54 win Tuesday night.

With the win, Statesboro improved to 20-1 on the season and 6-0 in Region 2-AAAA (B). South Effingham slipped to 11-9 for the season and 3-3 in the subregion.

"Our girls played with the kind of confidence and determination they had over the last three games," Womack said. "That was a fun game, and I’m proud of their effort and the determination they showed."

Statesboro’s lead swelled to as much as 14 points in the fourth quarter, after the Lady Blue Devils took a 29-18 lead at halftime. But Germain, who had 27 of her game-high 32 points in the final two quarters, and the Lady Mustangs kept charging back.

Germain’s scoop shot with 2:32 to go cut the lead to 57-51. With 11.6 seconds remaining, Germain drained a 24-foot jump shot, the final three of the 15 points she scored in the fourth quarter.

"She played a heckuva game," Womack said of her sophomore point guard, who also registered three steals and four assists. "She showed some leadership and in the fourth quarter, she was able to take over the game.

Shanice Walker missed the front end of a one-and-one, and South Effingham got the rebound. Womack called timeout and set up the final play for Alexis Williams, the Lady Mustangs’ most proficient 3-point shooter, to take the potential game-tying shot.

Statesboro, however, overcame the two screens set for Williams, yet the Lady Mustangs still managed to salvage a reasonable attempt for the final shot.

Sierra Kirkland led Statesboro with 16 points, scoring 12 in the first quarter alone as the Lady Blue Devils grabbed an 18-11 lead. Alisia Jenkins added 12, and Anesha Drummer had eight of her nine points in the fourth quarter.

Dionna Hartfield had five points for the Lady Mustangs while Amy Jameson and Hannah Anderson had four points each, Williams had three and Ta’Keia Marshall and Nicole Beasley each had two points.

"The last three games, they have played with more confidence and more as a team and they understand running the defense," Womack said. "That is the one thing that is helping us to believe we can contend with teams like that."

Aside from a loss to Alcovy, only two other teams had come within 10 points of Statesboro this season, and the Lady Blue Devils’ average margin of victory prior to Tuesday night was more than 25 points per game.

Just two and a half weeks ago, the Lady Blue Devils routed South Effingham 69-12. That result aside, Womack sees her team moving up as a contender to the powerful Statesboro squad.

"I think we’re closing the gap on them," she said.

South Effingham hosts Effingham County tonight at 7 p.m. and hosts Screven County on Saturday night.