TIFTON – The results of Region 1-7A basketball doubleheaders between Colquitt County and Tift County plus Lowndes vs. Camden County set up one last region twinbill with serious stakes this coming Friday on William Bryant Court.

The Lowndes hoops program – boys and girls – swept Camden on Friday to maintain one-game leads on Colquitt County. The Packer boys, also on Friday, lost at Tift County 65-56 to drop to 2-3 and third place in league play (Lowndes going to 3-2 and owning the win in the first outing with Colquitt). Rondesha Williams’ Lady Packers bounced back from Tuesday’s loss at Lowndes to destroy the Tift Lady Blue Devils 61-32; they will be looking for a victory against the Vikettes to end region play tied for first place.

Cam Singletary led all scorers in Friday’s boys contest at Tift with 28 points. Offense from other sources, however, was not there, especially in a six-point third quarter with only one field goal. Colquitt was down as many as 15 then put a flurry of plays together in the final period that could only pull it as close as seven.

Guard Montae Terrell led Tift County with 20 points, and right behind him for the defending region and state champions was Rashad Bateman with 19.

A team proficient in making the 3-point field goal, Singletary was the only player for coach Andy Harden to connect from outside the arc all game Friday. The senior point guard in fact made the game’s first basket at 6:39; Colquitt would miss its next four tries in a row. Then, Singletary scored 3 again from an offensive rebound by Nizarre Thompson. Harden made a lineup adjustment due to the injury to senior forward Quentin Dopson, starting Marcus Anderson – who delivered some early rebounds – and using Thompson in reserve.

Singletary’s second trey tied the score 6-6, but that’s as close as Colquitt would be the rest of the night. Terrell threw his second assist to starting forward JJ McClain. Later, Terrell drew contact making his team’s first 3, and for Tift it was an 8-0 run.

With 42 seconds left in the opening quarter, Singletary scored taking the ball into the lane. The Packers defended Tift’s last possession to stay down by four, 14-10.

For the Blue Devils, offensive success was based mostly on penetration, be it by Bateman or Terrell. Colquitt was also effective going inside, and points came from unconventional sources. Kaleb Dawson took Jy Andrews’ pass for his second make, and Anderson converted the feed by Singletary. But despite all of that, the visitors could not stop four in a row by Bateman and an NBA-long 3 from Terrell.

Singletary earned three the old-fashioned way as there were no FGs outside the arc in the second quarter. Two such shots in a row did not fall, and Terrell fired a touchdown pass to Marquavious Johnson to take the game into halftime 28-21.

The only field goal Colquitt made in the third quarter was on the opening possession by Singletary. The Packers were holding their own on the offensive glass thanks in part to reserve KT Wilson, but fouls were building up due in part to that Blue Devil penetration. Bateman scored two times, once recovering the ball defended well in transition by Jarvis Christopher. Terrell and Johnson both went to the basket extending it to a double-figures game, 38-25.

Tift’s biggest advantage, 42-27, was the score going into the fourth period. The Packers turned around their field-goal drought in a hurry with Christopher feeding Anderson and Thompson taking Singletary’s steal. Christopher remained a spark with two more assists and a steal, but Tift always had a counter run, always sparked by either Bateman or Terrell.

The score was 55-41 Blue Devils when the Packers made another push with Singletary’s second 3 of the quarter at 1:58. Wilson provided the rebound and assist in getting a 7-0 run going. Colquitt’s full-court pressure led to two steals by Thompson, and Kam Woods scored off the bench with 1:22 remaining. The foul situation caught up with the Packers as Tift sealed the win making 13 free throws in the fourth.

GIRLS ROUT

Senior Diamond Hall exploded for 31 points Friday in propelling the Lady Packers to victory. Za’Nautica Downs added 12 and Janiah Ellis nine.

Tift’s Lady Blue Devils began the game showing some offensive potential; they were within three, 19-16, after one quarter. They were only able to double that in the three remaining quarters, one of which lasted just six minutes.

Seniors Jocelyn Reyes and Kaysie Harrelson made jumpers in Tift’s 7-0 first-quarter run that gave them a 7-5 advantage. Downs flipped that to 8-7 Colquitt on a one-pass catch-and-shoot possession. Hall then scored the first turnover points.

In all, Tift scored nine on 3-pointers in this opening quarter. Hall herself scored seven in a row for her team (with an assist from the top by Akia Sutton), and Downs’ 3 broke one final tie at the period’s end.

The Lady Packers clamped things down from there with Hall sinking 3 on the first possession. Sutton caused a 10-second turnover leading to Ellis’ basket gliding to the hoop. When Tift scored its fourth points of the quarter, it was 26-20 Lady Packers. The visitors ended the half on an 11-0 run with Hall’s 3 at 3:15 and Kiarra Lovett’s offensive rebound and pass out to Downs (yes, for 3).

The Lady Blue Devils wouldn’t see another 3 go in until 3:28 of the third quarter, by Harrelson. Colquitt led 37-20 at the break and extended the run to 21 in a row. Downs answered with an assist to Tionna Hunt that began another run of 10 straight.