MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County boys basketball team appeared to have Tuesday’s non-Region 1-AAAAA meeting with Thomas County Central at the Gladys Espy Gymnasium well in hand as it headed into the fourth quarter.

Leading 42-23 and having held the Yellow Jackets to just 11 total points in the previous two quarters, the Packers had no reason to suspect a frantic rally.

But rally the Yellow Jackets did, outscoring the Packers 20-6 in the final quarter and twice cutting their deficit to five points in the final 1:40 before finally falling 48-43.

The Colquitt County-Thomas County Central girls game followed much the same pattern, with the Lady Packers winning 51-46, despite being outscored in the final quarter 15-11.

The games were the last before Colquitt County goes on the road on Friday to Houston County to open Region 1-AAAAA play.

The Packers and Lady Packers will be back at the Espy Gymnasium on Saturday for another pair of region games against Coffee High.

Colquitt County boys coach Kirven Davis attributed his team’s fourth-quarter performance to fatigue.

“We were coming off a high-energy game (a 54-52 victory over Westover on Saturday in the final game of the Colquitt County Roundball Classic),” Davis said. “We’ve played two tournaments.

“But I think we showed a little composure under some adversity.”

And with starting point guard Orion Ponder held out for a second straight game with a back injury and Davis eager to give some of the reserves some time, the bench produced.

“Nathan Cashwell did a good job,” Davis said. “So did Javaris Jackson. And Chantting Stevenson came in again and gave us some good minutes.”

Thomas County Central took a 7-5 record into the game, but was coming off a 54-46 loss to Mitchell County in the Thomasville Holiday Hoopfest.

Those seven wins are six more than the Yellow Jackets managed all of 2005-2006, but they dug too deep a hole on Tuesday.

The Packers led 15-12 at then end of the first quarter, but when the Jackets scored just four points in the second quarter, led 42-23 at the half.

Colquitt outscored the Jackets 17-7 in the third quarter, but could not maintain the momentum.

Channing Hudson led the Packers with 13 points. Eugene Woods had 10.

Rashawn Melvin and Andrew Wallace each had six; Stevenson had five, Dannie Hunt had four, Nolan Whyte had two and Cashwell had two points.

Erik Monroe led the Yellow Jackets with 13 points. Chris Monroe added 10.

The Packers will take 6-5 record to Warner Robins on Friday.

“We’ll take a win any time we can get it,” Davis said. “We’ve got two days to get ready for the region. We’ll need it.”

Davis said he expected to have Ponder ready to play on Friday. The senior point guard injured his back in a first-quarter fall in Friday’s game against South Miami.

Colquitt County’s girls took a comfortable 40-31 lead into the fourth quarter against the Lady Jackets and had to withstand a rally to get the five-point victory.

The Lady Packers went on a 15-3 run starting with 2:18 left in the third quarter to hike a 34-18 lead to 49-34 with 3:09 left in the game.

Central outscored the Lady Packers 12-2 the rest of the way, but still came up short.

The victory ups the Lady Packers record to 7-5. Central’s girls fall to 5-7.

The Lady Packers had three players in double-figures, led by Taquella Coates, who scored 17.

Nicolle Thomas and Tiffany Troupe each had 10.

Nikki Hudson chipped in eight and Shay Lovett, Ashley Patillo and Persephone Taylor each had two. Colquitt hit 21 of its 51 shots.

Hudson, Thomas and Coates each had six rebounds. Troupe had five. Colquitt County outrebounded the Lady Jackets 34-31. Hudson also had five assists.

Chelsea Walden led Thomas County Central with 12 points. Kira Huntley added 10.

The Lady Packers have won four of their last six heading into Friday’s meeting the Houston County on the road.