WHEELING — They will take the effort. It’s the result that has the Wheeling Nailers sick to their stomachs. The Nailers (2-7-1 — 5) played 50 minutes of good hockey Friday night at WesBanco Arena, but a pair of miscues during the other 10 cost them a 2-1 loss to defending Kelly Cup champion South Carolina (5-2-2 — 12). ‘‘We still had some turnovers, but I think all in all our effort was better,’’ Wheeling coach Greg Puhalski said. ‘‘It was close all the way, and we didn’t give up at any point. ‘‘We still have to finish.’’ Trailing 2-0 with less than 2 minutes remaining, Wheeling pulled goaltender Jordan Parise for an extra attacker. Seconds later the Stingrays’ Joe Finley went off for a cross-checking penalty, giving the Nailers a 6-on-4 advantage. ‘‘I had one go right across my skate and I missed the net,’’ Wheeling’s Aaron Clarke said. ‘‘Luckily the guys were crashing and banging there and we got one.’’ Indeed they did. Wheeling pulled to within a goal when Jordan Fox, back in the lineup after sitting out a month’s worth of games with a shoulder injury suffered in the opener, slammed a rebound past Stingrays goaltender Todd Ford. The Nailers had a couple more chances but they couldn’t get another past Ford, who stopped 27 of 28 shots as Wheeling outshot an opponent for the first time this season. ‘‘Everybody’s kind of shaking their heads right now and have their heads hanging low,’’ Clarke said.