MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County middle school basketball teams won all four of their games against Hahira on Saturday as they continue preparing for their conference tournaments, which begin Jan. 22.
The eighth-grade teams gave plenty of court time to their reserves, but still came away with a pair of convincing victories.
The eighth-grade Lady Packers ran their record to 9-3 with a 36-26 in Hahira.
Coach Palisa Harris’s girls were coming off a 37-32 loss to Coffee on Thursday, but had little trouble with Hahira.
Ja’Nice Sailor led the Lady Packers with 20 points. Cheyenne Reynolds added six, Aikerrion Ryce had four, Shameka Reynolds had three, Maiya Thompson had two and Tiara Almond had one.
“Our defense was better,” Harris said. “And we handled their press well.”
Every player on the eighth-grade boys roster played and all but one scored.
Raheen McClendon led the Packers with eight points. Rashawn Edwards and John Peterson had five; Caleb Brown and Deonte Johnson had four; Jeffery Davis had three; Sam Howard, Ken White, Quen Jenkins, Quin Osby and Tymetrious Lowery had two; and Carlos Johnson had a free throw.
“We started the guys who rarely get a chance to play much and they did an outstanding job,” said coach Roger Jones, who noted that the Packers led 8-1 after the first quarter and 20-8 at the half.
Jones was especially pleased with the play of Osby.
“He ran the team like he had been doing it all year,” Jones said.
“I’m really proud of all the kids,” Jones said. “Hahira was overmatched, but we tried not to run up the score. We just wanted to give everybody a chance to play.”
The eighth-grade teams will return to the Willie J. Williams Middle School gymnasium to play host to Worth County, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The eighth-graders also will be home on Friday to play host to Tift County.
The South Georgia Athletic Conference eighth-grade tournament will begin on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Coffee.
At the Charlie A. Gray Middle School gymnasium on Saturday, the seventh-graders also had little trouble with their Hahira counterparts.
The seventh-grade Packers are now 7-4 after their 34-29 victory.
Looking to hold on to their likely No. 3 seed in the South Georgia Athletic Conference tournament, the Packers rallied from a four-point, fourth-quarter deficit to get the five-point victory.
“We played a nice fourth quarter,” said coach John Phillips. “We held (Hahira) to just two points.
“It was a nice one to win. We’re just trying ot get ready to do something in the tournament.”
Kenji Thompson had the big plays in the fourth quarter, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter and Colquitt trailed 17-12 at the half and 27-23 heading into the final quarter.
Brandon Key led the seventh-grade Packers with 11 points. Thompson had six and Daniel Mobley added five.
The seventh-grade girls led 5-0 after the first quarter and 13-2 at the half and eased on to a 24-10 victory.
“The story of the game was that we shut them down in the first half,” Coach Jon Scroggins said.
The Lady Packers were led by Dexshalyn Polite, who had 10 points.
Abbi Beth Paulk had six, Josey Fowler had four and Jazzlyn Collier and Ashlee Parrish each had two.
The victory raises the seventh-grade girls record to 5-6.
The seventh-graders will play their final pre-tournament games on Friday at Tifton.
Local Sports
Middle school basketball teams sweep Hahira
- Local Sports
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Conference champions
The Colquitt County seventh-grade girls basketball team celebrates its South Georgia Athletic Conference championship. The team includes, front, from left, coach Sheila Williams, Za'Nautica Downs, Akia Sutton, Ty'Asia McNeal, Shy Seay; and back, Sydnee Dalton, Shay Stanfill, Kiarra Lovett, Abiyah Spencer, Coach Jon Scroggins, Angel Kinchen, Chyna Calhoun, Michaela Bennefield, Istajhe Johnson, Ashuntee Stewart and Ja'nysia Brown. Not shown, Coach Tamika Seay and Emily Dozier.
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Lady Pack clinches top seed for region tournament
Makeba Ponder’s free throw with 6 seconds remaining gave the Colquitt County girls a 55-48 victory over Lowndes on Tuesday on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium and ensured the Lady Packers would have the top seed in next week’s Region 1-AAAAA tournament at Tift County.
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Rifle team defeats Worth County
The Colquitt County High rifle team remains unbeaten after taking a 1,098-1,082 victory over Worth County on Tuesday in Sylvester.
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Prine shines at Snowflake Invitational
Kenyadah Prine is progressing just fine in her comeback from two frustrating seasons that were marred by injuries. The Lowndes High senior is making the most of her opportunities to return to top form, no matter how big or small the stage.
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Prine shines at Snowflake Invitational
Kenyadah Prine is progressing just fine in her comeback from two frustrating seasons that were marred by injuries. The Lowndes High senior is making the most of her opportunities to return to top form, no matter how big or small the stage.
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Level 3 gymnasts first, Level 4 team second in Thomasville
The Moultrie YMCA MGs headed to Thomasville on January 28 to continue their meet season in the Rose City gymnastics invitational and the Level 3’s took first place and the Level 4’s placed second.
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Register wins region wrestling championship
Travis Register will take an unbeaten record into next weekend’s state sectional after going 2-0 and winning the 220-pound weight class at Saturday’s Region 1-AAAAA wrestling tournament at Lowndes.
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Lady Packers hold off Tift County
The Colquitt County girls basketball team held off a determined Tift County second-half rally on Saturday on the William Bryant Court at the Espy Gymnasium to get a 59-48 Region 1-AAAAA victory.
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Talking it over
The defending Region 1-AAAAA champion Colquitt County High baseball team held an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday at Ike Aultman Field at Packer Park. The Packers are gearing up for their Feb. 21 season-opener against Lawton Chiles of Tallahassee at Packer Park. Packers assistant coach Jake Mobley talks with sophomore pitcher, and little brother, Gabe Mobley during Saturday’s scrimmage.
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Seventh-grade girls win conference championship
The Colquitt County seventh-grade girls’ basketball team claimed the conference championship Saturday, upsetting previously undefeated Coffee, 20-19.
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