MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County eighth-grade boys basketball was not expected to have much trouble with Lowndes on Thursday at the Willie J. Williams Middle School gymnasium.

But while the Packers were able to win their fourth straight game to open the season, they were stretched to the limit by the visiting Vikings.

Colquitt led by 11 with 4:43 left, only to watch as the Vikings cut their deficit to two with six seconds left.

Cornelius James added a three-point play with two seconds left to allow the Packers, now 4-0, to escape with a 32-27 victory.

The Colquitt County eighth-grade girls, playing without two starters who were injured in Wednesday’s victory at Hahira, dropped a 25-19 decision to Lowndes.

Colquitt County eighth-grade boys coach Craig Pitts made sure all his players got in the game and although the Packers trailed 6-2 at the end of the first quarter, they had battled back to take a 12-11 halftime lead.

The Packers extended the lead to 22-16 at the end of three quarters and the lead went to 27-16 when Colquitt scored the first five points of the fourth quarter.

But Lowndes then went on an 8-2 run to cut the Packers lead to a pair before James put the game out of reach.

“Lowndes did a good job,” Pitts said. “They outhustled us.”

Quan Daniels led the Packers with 12 points. James added seven. Xavier Ward had four, Tyler Brown had three and Cole Pitts and Tevin King each had two.

The Colquitt County girls lost starting point guard Sarah Strong and starting wing Phatema Wiley to injuries on Wednesday and had to meet Lowndes without them.

But Bria Wallace and the Lady Packers nearly pulled off a victory without them.

The Vikettes led by five points with 4:06 left in the third quarter before Wallace scored seven straight points to give Colquitt a 17-15 lead with 5:28 left in the game.

Lowndes went up 19-17 before Wallace scored again to tie the game at 19-19.

But Lowndes scored the final six points of the game over the final 2:21 to get the victory.

Wallace scored 16 of Colquitt County’s 19 points. Brittany Taylor had the other three.

“Our leadership just wasn’t there,” said Lady Packers coach Berri Tatum, whose team struggled without the two starters. “Without those kids, we got outcoached and outplayed.”

The eighth-graders will travel to Tifton on Monday.