GUYTON -- Metter was just a little bit better than South Effingham in the closing seconds on Tuesday.

The Lady Mustangs suffered their first loss in four outings after the Lady Tigers rallied from a 46-37 deficit in the final eight minutes. South Effingham briefly reclaimed the lead with 1:18 left but Ebony Williams' 3-pointer 50 seconds later lifted Metter to a 52-51 victory.

Williams' previous 3-pointer knotted the contest 49-49 with 2:43 left, just seconds before South Effingham's Maleece Newbill left the game with a leg injury. Newbill's replacement, Melanie Zeigler, broke the deadlock with a putback.

The Lady Mustangs, however, only got off one good shot in the final minute, a 3-point try by Cianna Trenary that was barely off line.

"I'm still proud of the girls for fighting until the end," Lady Mustangs coach Jenifer Hall said. "We made some mental mistakes in the second half. That at some unforced turnovers, I think, turned the game around."

See the Dec. 6 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.