The South Effingham Lady Mustangs basketball team had few answers for the faster, stronger Wayne County Lady Yellow Jackets on Friday. And coach Stacey Womack has a few questions about her own team.

“We didn’t step up to the challenge,” she said after the 52-23 defeat. “It really shocked me because I thought we were going to come out and play a better game than we played.”

Womack had a long talk with her team after last Tuesday’s loss to Bluffton, another instance where she thought her team didn’t rise to the challenge.

“I hope they can pick each other up and help get each other back in it,” she said. “We can draw up plays and tell them where to be. They have to believe in themselves they can do it.”

The Lady Yellow Jackets opened up a 17-5 lead in the first quarter and took a 27-9 cushion at halftime. The lead grew to as much as 32 in the second half.

“When they got a shot close to the basket, they scored,” Womack said. “They came out ready to play and jumped on us and got in our heads.”

Alexa Bell led all scorers with 14 points for the Lady Yellow Jackets and Crystal Norwood added 12 points.

“They have definitely improved since the last time we played them,” Womack said of Wayne County. “We made a lot of mistakes early, and we let it snowball and never could get back into it.”

Candice Kennedy was 9 of 9 from the free throw line and finished with 15 points. Katie Durrence had four points while Iesha Reese and Brittany Davis each had two points.

Womack wants to know who on her team can step up when it’s needed.

“Right now, we’re looking for a leader,” she said.