This past Monday, the Lady Blue Devils hosted the Lady South Effingham Mustangs for their first play-in game looking to secure their spot in the GHSA AAAAA Region Tournament. The Lady Blue Devils gave it their all, but could not seem to overcome the Lady Mustangs lights out shooting in a 36-35 loss to end their 2024-25 season.
The first half seemed to be evenly matched by both the Lady Blue Devils and the Lady Mustangs. Going shot for shot, each team was showing early how much this game meant to them. The Mustangs got out to a fast start knocking down a few three-pointers with a pair of layups. The Blue Devils settled into the game finding their stride as well.
During the third quarter, the Blue Devils couldn’t seem to finish at the rim. As they struggled to finish their layups, the Mustangs were in the zone. The Blue Devils gave up a lot of second chance shots which allowed the Mustangs to go on a run and create some space on the scoreboard going into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter the Blue Devils started to find their rhythm. Running a box-and-one on South Effingham’s junior point guard Hayden Johanson, the Blue Devils put themselves in a position to go on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 32 a piece. When the Blue Devils slowed the game down, they were able to make better decisions with the ball, which in turn gave them their best chance to win the game with them leading 35-34.
With time winding down the Blue Devils needed a huge stop. The Mustangs remained poised with the ball urging themselves to score and put them ahead by one point. Head coach Marty Holder quickly called a timeout with 4.7 seconds left so that his team could try to get one last shot off.
Freshman guard Lamya Dietz got the ball inbounds and quickly found senior guard Azziza Flowers who looked for the quick dribble and shot. Before she could get the shot off, Mustangs guard Kailyn Chapman’s defensive prowess halted the Blue Devils last chance attempt to win the game.
The Lady Blue Devils finish the season with a (10-15,3-7) record. Coach Marty Holder is proud of how his team has played this season and the impact his graduating seniors have had on the team.
"They’ve really done everything that I’ve asked for the past four years,” he said. “”They’ve given a lot to this program, and I just appreciate their hard work, developing the culture, and really just keeping this program where we need to be.”
