MOULTRIE —
Alexis Johnson scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Tift County girls to a 56-42 victory over Colquitt County on Friday in a Region 1-AAAAAA game on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium.
Colquitt County led 35-29 heading into the final quarter, but could not stop the Lady Devils, who scored 27 points in the final eight minutes.
Tift County keeps its region record spotless at 5-0.
The Lady Packers now have lost four of their last five to fall to 10-5 overall and 2-4 in the region,
It was a game of streaks in which Tift County led 15-5 after the first quarter.
But with Makeba Ponder scoring 11 points, the Lady Packers outscored the visitors 23-4 in the second quarter to lead 28-19 at the half.
Tift County whittled the points off the lead in the third quarter, then blew past the Lady Packers in the final five minutes to win going away,
Johnson, a junior, hit four consecutive baskets midway through the fourth quarter to put Tift County on its way.
The first cut a Lady Packers lead to one at 37-36 and the next gave Tift its first lead since the 4:01 mark of the second quarter. Two more Johnson baskets put Tift up 42-36.
Ponder slowed the Lady Devils temporarily with a 3-pointer to pull Colquitt to within two with 3:13 left in the game.
But the Lady Packers were outscored 14-3 the rest of the way.
Johnson was able to find her way through the Colquitt County defense time after time, resulting in easy baskets.
The Lady Packers never did find a way to slow her down.
Tift County also got 16 points from Brakia Bateman, nine from Dee Dee DeShazer and five from Staceyanna Morrell.
Ponder led the Lady Packers, scoring 22 of her team’s 43 points.
Dexshalyn Polite, Ja’nice Sailor, Shakhila Harry and Natalie Griffin each scored four; Ashley Henry scored a 3-pointer; and Abbi Beth Paulk had two points.
The Lady Packers will travel to Valdosta on Tuesday to play the Lady Cats, who took a 5-0 region record into its Friday night game against Brunswick.
Tift County travels tonight to play at Coffee.
The Colquitt County JV girls lost their first game of the season earlier on Friday, falling 32-26 to Tift County.
Aikerrion Ryce led the Lady Packers with nine point; Polite had six; Paulk had four; Kandi Seay had three; and Joneria Grant and Britni Marshall each had two.
Tift County also won the boys JV game.
Tift County also won the boys varsity game 65-45 and is now 5-0 in the region.
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Related Photos
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Akaari Ryce dribbled up court for the Colquitt County junior varsity team in Friday’s game against Tift County on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium. Tift County won. Connie Southwell
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Dexshalyn Polite (15) looks for a teammate to pass to in the JV Lady Packers 32-26 loss to Tift County. Connie Southwell
Discussion
Big fourth quarter lifts Tift County over Lady Packers
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