MOULTRIE — By the time they take the court tonight in the Decatur County Memorial Coliseum, it will have been more than two months since the Colquitt County basketball teams last met their counterparts from Bainbridge High.

The Packers and Lady Packers got a sweep Dec. 2 that night in their first 2005-2006 appearance at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium as they prepared for a long season ahead.

Tonight, they will begin preparations of another kind for a shorter season.

The Region 1-AAAAA tournament opens next Thursday in Tifton and both the Colquitt County boys and girls teams are reasonably certain of where they will be seeded.

The Lady Packers are 15-8 overall and will take a 6-4 record and the No. 3 seed into the tournament after a disheartening 39-33 loss to Coffee on Tuesday in Douglas.

Colquitt’s girls had handled the Lady Trojans at home, but poor shooting cost them in the road meeting.

The only player in double-figures for the Lady Packers on Tuesday was Taquella Coates, who had 13.

The sophomore post player continues to be the team’s most improved and most consistent player.

She leads the team in scoring with a 10.2 points per game average and has 145 rebounds, second-most on the team and a 6.3 average.

Senior Ashley Stafford is second on the team in scoring with a 10.1 average and is first in rebounding, averaging 6.6 a game.

Stafford also leads the team in steals with 63 and assists with 97.

The Lady Packers defeated the Bain-bridge girls by 19, 64-45, in Dec-ember, but the Lady Cats will take a 15-8 record and three-game winning streak into tonight’s game.

In the teams’ first meeting, Stafford had 14 points, Nicolle Thomas had 11 and Coates had 10.

Colquitt’s boys are in need of jolt of confidence and a win over the Bearcats tonight would end the team’s five-game losing streak. Since beating Thomas County Central in the first game following the Christmas break, the Packers are 4-8.

Colquitt lost to Coffee 73-53 on Tuesday and will take a 4-6 region record into the tournament and will be either the No. 4 or 5 seed. The Packers are likely to meet Coffee again in the first round.

The Packers continue to count on the scoring of Antwan Tuff, James Trimble, Andrew Wallace and Jeremy DeBruce.

When the Packers and Bearcats met in December, Colquitt had 18 points and 12 rebounds from Trimble, and teammate Ronald Wilson scored 13. The loss dropped Bainbridge to 1-3 at the time, but the Bearcats have rebounded nicely and will be on a roll when they play host to the Packers.

Bainbridge has won six in a row and will take a 15-6 record into the game.

The Bearcats ran the Region 1-AAAA table and will head into the tournament with an 8-0 record.