The Escambia County Lady Blue Devils could not hold off late surge by the J.F. Shields Lady Panthers as they were defeated 57-49 by the Lady Panthers on Friday night in the Hub City Classic.

The fourth quarter was the downfall for the Lady Blue Devils after leading throughout the third period.

Lady Blue Devils head coach Lorenzo Jones said his team played to win until the fourth quarter.

“We played well enough to win until the last minute of the third quarter,” Jones said. “We missed some key free throws and made some turnovers that hurt us.”

The Lady Blue Devils opened the game by sneaking out to a 14-13 lead in the first period.

In the second quarter, the Lady Panthers took the lead 27-23 before halftime as they outscored the Lady Blue Devils 14-9.

After halftime, the Lady Blue Devils looked as if they would pull out the win, but the last period proved to be the difference.

In the third quarter, the Lady Blue Devils gained a comfortable lead as they outscored Shields 16-9, but a 21-point barrage in the fourth period helped the Lady Panthers pull out the 57-49 win.

Lady Blue Devils Tiffany Madison and Diamond Williams led ECHS. Madison scored 14 and Williams added 13 in the loss.