Wayne Grandy
The Moultrie Observer
MOULTRIE —
The Colquitt County girls basketball team will take an eight-game winning streak into the 2013 portion of their schedule after defeating Rickards High 44-34 on Saturday in the final night of the Colquitt Regional Medical Center Shoot-out on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium.
The Lady Packers won all three of their games in the tournament and now have won eight in a row since a season-opening loss to Florida A&M University High in Tallahassee in their season-opener.
The Colquitt County boys lost to Pelham 51-34 in the tournament finale on Saturday to fall to 2-5 on the season.
The Colquitt County basketball teams will return to action on Friday when they play host to Camden County in their Region 1-AAAAAA openers.
The Lady Packers joined Washington County as the only two unbeaten teams in the tournament’s girls bracket.
Norland High of Miami and Monroe each were 2-1; Rickards and Pelham were 1-2; and Albany and FAMU were 0-3.
Led by All-Tournament selection Ashley Henry, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and another less than two minutes into the second, the Lady Packers jumped out to a 22-6 halftime lead and went on to defeat the Raiders for the second time this season.
Colquitt knocked off Rickards 66-27 in the second game of the season in the tournament in Tallahassee to begin the eight-game winning streak.
The Lady Packers were outscored 28-22 in the second half, but were never seriously threatened.
Henry finished off an outstanding tournament by putting in 11 points, all in the first half, to share leading-scorer honors with Makeba Ponder. Henry also scored 12 points in the Lady Packers tournament-opening victory over FAMU and had 24 in the three games.
Ponder scored in double digits in each game, with her 11-point effort on Saturday following 17 points against FAMU and 28 against Pelham.
An All-State selection in 2011-2012, Ponder is averaging 22.9 points this season.
The Lady Packers also got seven points from Dexshalyn Polite; six from Ja’nice Sailor; four from Abbi Beth Paulk; three from Natalie Griffin; and two from Aikerrion Ryce.
Gabby Figgers led Rickards with 11 points. Shannon Owens, who also was named to the All-Tournament team, had nine.
In the boys game, after the Hornets led 8-7 after the first quarter, they seemed to hit their offensive stride in the second.
The Packers never did, scoring just five points in the second quarter and five more in the third.
Pelham erupted for 19 points in the second quarter to lead 27-12 at the half and extended the advantage to 41-17 heading into the final quarter.
Colquitt outscored the Hornets 17-10 in the final eight minutes, but never made a run.
Kamorris Woods led the Packers with 12 points.
Xavier Terry added eight; Javonta Woods had six; Kenji Thompson put in five; Kevi Simpson had two; and Jaquan Blakely had a free throw.
The Packers will try to snap a three-game losing streak when they play host to Camden County on Friday.
Colquitt was the only boys team not to get a tournament victory.
Josey and Washington each went 3-0 and Westside-Macon, Pelham and Stone Mountain each went 1-2.
