MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County eighth-grade boys basketball team trailed 13-2 after one quarter against Newbern on Tuesday.
And the eighth-grade Lady Packers found themselves down by six heading into the final quarter.
But both teams rallied to take South Georgia Athletic Conference victories at the Charlie A. Gray Junior High School gymnasium.
Makeba Ponder scored 10 points in the fourth-quarter as the eighth-grade girls rallied from a 29-23 deficit to defeat the Newbern girls 34-31.
“She motivates our team by getting good shots, making her shots and making steals,” Lady Packers coach Tiffanie Young said of Ponder, who led all scorer with 21 points.
The Lady Packers led 18-13 at the half, but were outscored 16-5 in the third quarter.
“We were just going through the motions in the first half,” Young said. “We played with sense of urgency in the second half.”
Colquitt won the fourth-quarter battle 11-2 with Ponder getting 10 of her team’s 11 points.
Dexshalyn Polite and Abbi Beth Paulk each had six points and Ashlee Parrish added a free throw.
The eighth-grade Lady Packers are now 4-1.
The eighth-grade boys had an even bigger hole to dig out of.
The Packers did not get their first basket until Jamiyus Pittman scored from underneath 1:07 into the second quarter.
But Colquitt rallied from what was once a 13-1 deficit and tied the game on a basket and a free throw by Pittman with 2:41 left in the half.
Sebastian Courtney, who led the rally with seven second-quarter points, put Colquitt ahead to stay with a basket with 2:16 remaining in the half.
The second half was all Colquitt County with the Packers pulling away for a 44-30 victory.
Pittman led the Packers with 11 points and Courtney added nine.
Brandon Key, Taphari Wright and Parker Hoes each had six and Kenji Thompson, Jay Tolbert and Austin Vines each had two points.
The eighth-grade boys are now 4-1.
The eighth-graders will be back at the C.A. Gray gymnsium on Thursday to play host to Pine Grove.
The Colquitt County seventh-grade girls’ basketball team stormed out to a 14-2 first half lead and defeated Newbern by a final score of 19-8.
“I was proud of the way we started the game – we played with good intensity,” Coach Jon Scroggins said. “When we learn to play that way for 24 minutes, we’ll be in good shape.”
Six players scored for the Lady Packers, led by Josey Fowler with six points. Joneria Grant scored four, Takiya Henry added three, and Chazmin Singletary, Rachel Bostick, and Sade Walker scored two each.
The seventh-grade boys overcame a 10-9 first quarter deficit to complete the road sweep, 45-38. Five different players combined for 14 second-quarter points as the Packers built a 7-point halftime advantage, and then Javonta Woods exploded for 9 third-quarter points as Colquitt County put the game out of reach.
“We’re getting better,” Coach John Phillips said. “Defensively we played a good game. We pressed well; we rebounded well. We’re getting better every game, and that’s all I can ask.”
Woods led all scorers with 15 points. Rakeem McCloud added 11, Donta Wilson and Shiem King had six each and “Bull” Barge had four.
The seventh-graders will be back on the road Thursday against Pine Grove in Valdosta.
Jon Scroggins contributed to this story.
