In a matter of seconds, the Williston-Elko High varsity girls basketball team went from a team headed for a loss to a team of triumph.

Trailing Blackville-Hilda High 51-47 with 53 seconds remaining in the game, Williston-Elko High chances for victory looked slim.

However, the Lady Blue Devils showed some resiliency down the stretch.

Fueled by Charnica Williams, the Lady Blue Devils scored the last six points of the game, including a layup by Williams at the buzzer for a 53-51 comeback win.

Williams, who scored only two points through the first three quarters, found her rhythm in the final stanza with six points, four steals and three assists.

"It was a very tough game all the way through, but somehow we found a way to win," Williams said.

With the win, Williston-Elko High improves to 8-5 overall and 7-1 in the region standings.

Williston-Elko High head coach Eva Strong said the team never lost hope.

"I'm very proud of our girls. We defeated a very good Blackville-Hilda team tonight," Strong said. "We struggled almost the entire game with our shooting, but we never gave up. We hung tough and made the plays when the game was on the line."

For Blackville-Hilda High coach William Hammond, it was a game that got away from his team.

Leading 46-39 with 6:02 left to play, the Lady Hawks shooting went cold as the team connected on only two-of-10 field goals to finish the game.

"This is a tough loss because we played so well," Hammonds said. "Offensively, we executed well at times. However, we didn't do a good job of it when it counted the most."

At the start of the game, the Lady Hawks soared to a 12-3 lead behind the shooting of Shawanda Ferguson and Danielle Brown. Ferguson scored six points on three-of-shooting while Brown added four points on two layups.

After a cold shooting spell in the first quarter with only one field goal scored, the Lady Blue Devils warmed up offensively in the second quarter.

Senior center Kyla Coleman got busy in the paint, scoring three baskets off offensive rebounds. The Williston-Elko backcourt also got involved offensively with Courtney Corley, Charnica Williams and Lakendra James scoring baskets in transition to put the team ahead at 20-17 with 1:07 left in the first half.

"We came out a little nervous, but we quickly got rid of the jitters in the second quarter," Strong said. "After a horrible first quarter performance, we settled down as a team and allowed the game to come to us."

At the start of the second half, the Lady Hawks surged back. Ferguson led the way with 10 points as the Lady Hawks outscored the Lady Blue Devils 21-17 for a 39-37 lead.

Others contributing offensively included Brown with six points and Shamone Harley with three points.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Hawks kept the momentum in their favor as Ferguson and Brown scored in the paint to extended the lead to 45-38 with 7:18 left to play.

Down, but not out, the Lady Blue Devils responded with a 15-6 scoring run in the last six minutes to squeak out the win. Coleman scored eight of the team's points during the stretch.

For the game, Coleman posted a double-double with a career high 29 points and 14 rebounds.

Corley had a good all-around game with 13 points, eight steals and six assists. Williams contributed eight points, 10 assists and nine steals. Tierra Richberg had four points and 11 boards.

For BHHS, Ferguson had an outstanding effort with 26 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. Brown notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.