MOULTRIE —
The Colquitt County girls basketball team appears to have put a midseason funk behind it as it tries to build some momentum for the Region 1-AAAAAA tournament.
The Lady Packers will chase their fourth win in a row tonight when they travel to Douglas to meet Coffee.
The recent streak began after the Lady Packers lost a difficult-to-swallow 44-41 decision at Valdosta on Jan. 22.
That loss keeps the Colquitt County girls from taking anything better than the No. 3 seed for the tournament, which will begin Feb. 12 at Valdosta High.
The Lady Packers are now 5-5 in the region, trailing 8-0 Tift County and 7-3 Valdosta. Even if the Lady Packers defeat Coffee tonight and Tift County a week from tonight and Valdosta loses its last two games, Colquitt will still finish No. 3.
But a strong finish could provide a boost to their tournament preparations.
In addition to the two region games, the Lady Packers also have two non-region games remaining, both at home, against Albany High on Saturday and against Turner County on Tuesday.
In their second tour through the region schedule, the Lady Packers have avenged earlier losses to Brunswick and Lowndes.
And they defeated Coffee 53-46 when the two teams met on the William Bryant Court at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium on Jan. 12.
They won’t want to falter after they make the long bus ride today.
The Lady Packers continue to rely heavily on the scoring of Makeba Ponder, who is averaging 20.8 points overall and 21.2 against region opponents.
Ponder was big down the stretch in the victory over Lowndes on Tuesday. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, she finished with 25 points, including 11 in the decisive fourth quarter.
But in the last two games, the Lady Packers have begun to get some scoring from another source.
Dexshalyn Polite, who had not scored more than eight points in a region game, has scored 13 in each of the last two.
“She really has her confidence level up,” Lady Packers coach Rondesha Williams said.
Scoring from another source will help take some of the pressure off Ponder.
The Lady Packers helped themselves immensely on Tuesday with an outstanding performance from the foul line, where they hit 22-of-32.
“And Ja’nice (Sailor) really stepped up and hit some critical free throws,” Williams said of her senior guard, who was 7-for-8 from the free throw line and was 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter as the Lady Packers rallied from a three-point deficit with four minutes remaining to win by four, 58-54.
Williams also was pleased with her team’s defense.
“Our defense corrects our offense,” Williams said.
Against the Vikettes, the Lady Packers found themselves down by four at the end of the first quarter and by five at the half.
Colquitt cannot afford to continue to get off to slow starts.
“We just didn’t come out ready to play in the first half,” Williams said.
The Coffee girls will take a 2-5 region record into tonight’s game. The Lady Trojans are 11-7 overall.
The Colquitt County boys will try to snap a nine-game losing streak when they meet the Trojans in tonight’s second game.
The Packers, 3-14 overall and 1-9 in the region, are coming off a 48-45 loss to Lowndes on Tuesday.
Colquitt pulled to within three on driving layup by Kenji Thompson with 10.5 seconds left, but that was as close as the Packers could get.
Kamoris Woods played well inside, scoring 21 points. Junior guard Xavier Terry had 12, including a 3-pointer with 24.6 seconds left that pulled the Packers to within three.
The Coffee boys are 14-5 overall and 5-2 in the region and will take a four-game winning streak into the game.
The Trojans won the first meeting between the two teams by a 61-44 score.
Local Sports
Lady Packers seek fourth straight win at Coffee on Friday
- Local Sports
-
-
State champion flag football team
Colquitt County won the gold medal in the Senior/Master Traditional Flag Football competition at the recent 2013 Special Olympics Georgia State Summer Games last weekend. Colquitt County defeated Gwinnett County 26-0 in the opening round and defeated Gwinnett again in the championship game 24-0. The team includes, front, from left, Quan Ballard, Joseph Bentley, Wayne Cooley, Jonathon Barnett and James Moxley; back, assistant coach Nick Edge, Shane Jacobs, James Palmore, Jack Hipps, Local Coordinator Grant Hammack, Donta Merritt, Kelvin Holmes and head coach Dennis Eubanks.
-
8 Packers named All-Region in baseball
For the third season in a row, Colquitt County High has had one of its baseball players named a region Player of the Year.
-
Giddens named to Rimington Trophy watch list
Arkansas State sophomore center Bryce Giddens is one of 44 players across the country who have been named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy’s spring watch list, announced Tuesday by the Rimington Trophy committee.
-
Dawson resigns as Colquitt County athletic director
Darius Dawson, who has served as Colquitt County’s athletic director since 2006, has resigned to take a job as assistant principal at Charlie A. Gray Middle School.
And Dawson, who has held several coaching positions at his alma mater since -
South Georgia Youth Shooting Club excels
The South Georgia Youth Shooting Club overcame chilly and wet conditions to take two first-place and two third-place finishes at the Georgia State Trap Shooting championships held May 4 at the South River Gun Club in Covington.
-
Packers finish tied for fourth in state golf tournament
When Colquitt County won the Blue Devil Invitational at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton on April 8, the Packers did so with a round of 294, their best score of the season.
-
Tournaments open
Levi Stanfill helped lead Liberty Tax into the Farm League baseball tournament that opened on Monday at the Magnolia Sports Complex. Tournament play in both the Farm League and Midget League will continue tonight with the championship games set for 6 p.m. Thursday. In Monday’s Midget League games, Davis Insurance defeated Mobley Plant 9-3; Quality Employment downed Hutchinson Traylor 13-5 and Southwest Georgia Insurance eliminated Ameris 20-4. In Farm League games on Monday, Farm Bureau defeated Lazarus, 17-6; Ameris won over Southwest Georgia Bank 13-2; Liberty Tax defeated Rocky’s 8-2; and Davis Insurance won over Paradise Pool and Patio 17-2. Stanfill is shown slamming a double in a recent Liberty Tax victory over Lazarus.
-
Lady Packers third at state golf tournament at Sunset
Colquitt County coach Matt Key said he thinks his Lady Packers might have place little too much pressure on themselves at Monday’s Class AAAAAA golf tournament at Sunset Country Club.
-
Packers head to Tifton to chase state golf championship
When the Colquitt County High golf team tees off in Monday’s state tournament, the Packers will be playing a course that it sometimes plays better than its own.
-
Davis Insurance, Hutson Motors win boys baseball championships
Davis Insurance edged Liberty Tax 13-12 on Thursday at the Magnolia Sports Complex and claimed the Farm League baseball championship.
Hutson Motors won the Tiny Mites championship after defeating Holman Supply 15-0 to finish its season undefeated.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Former IRS Chief: Can't Say How List Happened
Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
