MOULTRIE — The original schedule for this week’s Colquitt Regional Medical Center Christmas Shoot-out did not include a game between the Colquitt County and Florida A&M University High girls teams.

But after the Lady Rattlers defeated the Colquitt County girls in the season-opener, the Lady Packer players went to coach Rondesha Williams and asked if they could take another shot at the FAMU in the tournament.

Williams, impressed by the spunkiness of her team, re-arranged the schedule so that the 5-1 Lady Packer and undefeated Lady Rattlers would meet at 8:30 tonight in the final game of the first day of the three-day event.

The shoot-out includes eight girls teams and six boys and will continue through Saturday on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium.

The Colquitt County boys also will play today, meeting Stone Mountain High at 7 p.m.

The rest of today’s schedule includes the Josey High boys vs. Westside-Macon at 11:30 a.m.; the Rickards girls against Washington County at 1 p.m.; the Albany girls vs. Norland High of Miami at 2:30 p.m.; the Pelham boys against Washington County at 4 p.m.; and the Monroe girls against Pelham at 5:30 p.m.

Colquitt County’s boys also will play against Josey at 5:30 p.m. Friday and against Pelham at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Lady Packers will face Pelham at 7 p.m. Friday and Rickards at 5:30 pm. Saturday.

Admission is $8 each day. A three-day pass will be available today for $20.

The event is sponsored by Colquitt Regional Medical Center and Crystal Pharmacy and enables the Colquitt County teams to both play in a holiday tournament on their home court for the first time in several years and get a chance to show off some outstanding teams to basketball fans in Moultrie.

“We’ve received great support from the hospital and Crystal Pharmacy,” Williams said.

The Colquitt County girls opened the season with 54-49 loss to FAMU in the Fastbreak Shoot-out on Nov. 23 in Tallahassee.

They have won five in a row since then and would like to avenge the loss to the defending Florida Class 2A state champions.

The Lady Packers trailed by 20 in the first half of the game but batted back to make a game of it in the second half.

Colquitt will have to control FAMU’s Lakaris Salter, who averaged 25 points last season. She scored 18 against the Lady Packers last month.

Colquitt got 30 points that night from junior Makeba Ponder, who is now averaging more than 21 points a game.

Williams was heartened when her players wanted another shot at FAMU.

“That showed we have the eye of the tiger, that we’ve got that fighting edge,” she said.

The Lady Packers will play another unbeaten team when they face Pelham at 7 p.m. Friday.

“We’re playing a tough non-region schedule,” Williams said. “It makes me work hard and it makes the kids work hard.”

The girls bracket also features Florida Class 6A state runner-up Norland High of Miami.

Norland had won the state championship the two previous seasons and has another outstanding  team this year.

Norland is coached by Carla Harris, who went to the same high school as Williams. The Colquitt County coach calls Harris one of her mentors.

The Vikings coach has come to Moultrie to conduct clinics and the Lady Packers have responded.

“It’s great to be able to talk to someone who has done something we are trying to do,” Williams said.

The Lady Packers roster also includes JoneriaGrant, Aikerion Ryce, Ashley Henry, Dezaray Fowler, Kandi Seay, Dexshalyn Polite, Shakhila Harry, Ja’Nice Sailor, T’Keyah Owens, Abbi Beth Paulk, Takerria Waters, Natalie Griffin and Felicia Bowman.

The 2-2 Colquitt County boys will be bolstered by the return of four players – including starter Javonta Woods – who were formerly with the Packers football team.

Colquitt will attempt to get over .500 when it goes up against the Pirates today and will use the tournament to get ready for the Region 1-AAAAAA schedule, which starts on Friday, Jan. 4, when Camden County visits Moultrie.

“These three games fell at just the right time for us,” Packers coach Levon Grant said.

Woods, Deonte Johnson, Sam Holloway and John Peterson will be on the court for the first time today after playing 14 football games and getting a little rest.

Jamiyus Pittman will join the team later, but is currently preparing to play in an all-star football game for juniors.

Grant is especially pleased to be able to have the services of Woods, who started as a freshman last year.

“It won’t take him long to get up to speed,” Grant said.

Woods will be in a starting lineup that also will include point guard Kenji Thompson, leading scorer Xavier Terry, Kamoris Woods and Jay Tolbert.

Terry is averaging 19.8 points and has games of 29 and 21 points.

And while Grant is glad to have the former football players back, he said he was encouraged by the way the rest of the team played in their absence.

“We feel good about those guys,” Grant said. “A lot of them played better than expected. That’s why we tell them if you work hard, sometimes there’s an opportunity created for a role.”

Grant said Stone Mountain depends on what he calls “really good guard play.”

“We’ve got to contain them on the offensive end,” he said. “But we’ve also got to make them work had on defense too.”

Also on the Colquitt County boys roster are Tymetrius Lowery, Quen Jenkins, Kevi Simpson, Shaheem Ponder and Donta Wilson.