MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County ninth-grade boys basketball team fought back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a three-point lead with just over a minute remaining against Tift County on Monday at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium.

But the freshmen Blue Devils outscored the Packers 7-1 in the final 46 seconds to take a 56-53 victory.

With their team trailing 43-32 with 5:05 left, Colquitt County coaches Keith Hose and Dextra Polite sent starters Quin Robertson, Amel Magwood, Dominique Pressley and Nathaniel Hill into the game to join Jeremy Downs.

The Packers promptly ran off six straight points and when Magwood hit free throw with 2:40 left in the game, the Packers had taken a 46-45 lead.

A driving layup by Downs put the Packers up 50-47 with 2:04 remaining, but Pressley, who finished with a team-high 16 points, fouled out 21 seconds later and Colquitt scored just three points the rest of the way.

After a Hill basket with 1:15 left put Colquitt up 52-49, Tift County hit six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

The Packers trailed 12-8 after the first quarter, but Pressley scored eight points in the second quarter and Colquitt led 22-20 at the half. Tift outscored the Packers 19-10 in the third quarter, when the score was tied at 26-26, 28-28 and 32-32.

Downs had 14 points for the Packers, including seven in the fourth-quarter rally. Hill added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Robertson had six, Lawhe Wingfield had a pair of free throws, Derrell Ward had two and Magwood had a free throw.

The freshmen Packers, now 3-2, will meet Worth County at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Espy Gymnasium.