MOULTRIE – Usually, the post-Thanksgiving trip to Tallahassee results in some kind of milestone for Colquitt County High girls basketball. This year was no different.

Lady Packer girls basketball coach Rondesha Williams earned her 200th win for the program Saturday when her club crushed Rickards High School in the Fastbreak Shootout 64-36. This was part of a 4-0 start to the new 2018-19 season on the hardwood, Williams entering it with 196 coaching wins in her previous 10 seasons at the helm.

Every game so far was on the road, including a neutral-site contest on Nov. 16 at Carver High in Columbus. There, Colquitt’s girls took on another Columbus school, Hardaway High, and won a tight one 48-40. It was 20-17 for Colquitt at the half.

Janiah Ellis, the only junior on the roster, led the scoring with 23 points. Senior Tionna Hunt added 14 points.

Then came a holiday week used to prepare for two games in two successive nights in Florida’s capital city. The Lady Packers stomped Chiles High 68-22 Friday behind 21 from Ellis, 16 from Hunt and nine more contributed by Naia Benefield. Eriyona Stokes sank two 3-pointers.

In the win over Rickards, Hunt paced three Lady Packers in double figures with 25 points. Ellis was in there still with 14 points, and Stokes hit a season-high 12 points. Benefield added eight.

“Rickards was tough. We just jumped out on them early,” said Williams. “They couldn’t recover. They threw their press on us, but we maintained.”

The Colquitt girls hoops program is good at getting these milestones early in the season, for in November last year Diamond Hall reached 1,000 points. In November 2016, it was then-junior Za’Nautica Downs eclipsing 1,000 in points.

Now it is time to honor Williams, who went 15-14 in her first season as head coach for girls basketball in 2008. She has taken the program to the state playoffs seven times, and including in that is a current string of three straight first-round wins. The best season so far was 2016-17 with the first region championship for the Lady Packers in two decades and a 23-5 record.

“It’s about these kids I’ve had over the years,” said Williams. “They accomplished this. They work hard day-in and day-out, and we were able to get 200 wins. I couldn’t do it by myself. It’s a team effort.

“I want us to keep going. I want us to be very successful this season. We are off to a good start, playing great defense, great team ball.

“Ellis has finally found her rhythm. She has confidence. Hunt has helped her confidence, and they are playing off each other. Then you have Mya (Sanders), the front of our defense. I tell her defense creates our offense. Then you have Stokes shooting the ball well. We are doing great things; we just have to keep our momentum, and we can’t relax.”

Packers basketball will remain on the road for the next two weeks at least, including Tuesday’s non-region game at Bainbridge. Saturday’s scheduled foe is Cook High in Adel, and on Dec. 4 the Colquitt teams go to Valdosta High where Williams said there’s a loaded girls program.

“I think our girls are ready for any test,” she said. “Until football is over we are still (on the road). Football is on the move to get another state championship, so we are excited for football.”