Eriyona Stokes (4) scored a team-high 16 points Tuesday in Colquitt County's home loss to Valdosta High in girls basketball

MOULTRIE – Going in with a 2-5 record, a new start to the 2018-19 basketball season began Tuesday for Colquitt County High and first-year boys varsity coach Tremaine Facison. On William Bryant Court, Facison’s roster – in taking on Valdosta High School – featured a mixture of the players who were there from the first day and six football players coming off the end of their gridiron campaign. Some of those newcomers made an immediate impact.

Samari Louis, returning to Packer basketball for his senior season, scored a team-high 15 points off the bench. It was not enough, however, to avoid a 63-60 loss to the Wildcats.

Facison’s starting lineup was the same as it’s been all November and December, that being Elijah Scott, Donovan Powell, Aaron Long, Billy Stafford and Henry Daniels. As the game progressed, in came Louis, point guard Montavious Ponder, Tyler Walker and K.T. Wilson for their hardwood debuts. Wilson scored nine points and Walker eight.

Valdosta led by 14, 56-42, in the fourth quarter. That’s when the Packers went on an 18-2 run to level things up at 60-all. For one thing, Valdosta went 8-for-15 from the foul line in the period, and Colquitt County was getting its scoring from the offensive boards. Wilson’s put-back was the first field goal of the run.

Louis, who was a spark of energy in the first half, got back into the flow with two points in the lane at 4:03. This brought his team within six at 56-50. The Packers in fact scored 10 in a row capped by the foul-shot offensive rebound by Lemeke Brockington, who was inserted into the action for the first time.

Back down by six, Louis scored two baskets in a row, one from a third-chance shot. The visiting Wildcats came out of a timeout with a great possession, dealing with the CC double teams and hitting the offensive glass themselves to lead 60-56.

But Valdosta missed two foul shots with 37.6 seconds to play, Louis rebounded and Facison called timeout. With 25 seconds to play, Ponder – with nothing previous to show in scoring – glided inside and laid in the tying points. Ponder almost came up with a steal as Valdosta pushed the basketball the other way, but he was called for the foul. As 12.5 seconds showed on the clock, the Wildcats got these two charity tosses to go through, and they added one more at the eight-second mark.

Powell sank Colquitt’s first 3-pointer of the night when Valdosta built a modest 10-7 first-period lead. When Ponder, Wilson and Louis substituted in, the crowd saw a point guard in Ponder whose every pass seems to be no-look. He had three assists with a full-court heave to Wilson and two cashed in by Louis. They worked to break the Valdosta press and end the quarter at 13-12 for the Packers.

Though the Wildcats scored four points off turnovers, Colquitt was still maintaining the advantage with Louis’ three-point play, Ponder’s fourth assist on penetration to Daniels and Wilson’s 3-ball three feet from the arc. Valdosta tied the score, though, 22-22, with three minutes to play before the half. The visitors stole a pick-and-roll pass for more takeaway points, but the Packers were crashing the offensive boards. Daniels and Wilson both put back rebounds in the final two minutes, and with that everything was even 28-28 at the break.

Valdosta did not make a 3-pointer in the first half, waiting instead to show off their strokes in the third quarter. They added two treys to the four points scored early from half-court turnovers in a 19-point outburst over eight minutes. The Packers got 3 from Walker plus Daniels’ second stick-back, but Valdsota was up 47-35 going into the fourth.

Walker had a steal for Ponder’s fifth assist, this to Scott for two of his 11 points early in the period. Valdosta answered immediately going inside for a 3-point play taking the Cats to the 14-point lead the Packers overcame.

Facison said before the game he had tryouts for Packer football players over the weekend, and one of the biggest things that happened was practices becoming much more intense.

As for the 2-5 start, he said there was a lot of varsity inexperience in those games with Packers who had never played at that level before. He said it took time for them to adjust to the speed of varsity basketball, but they did gain valuable experience.

After the loss, the coach said the biggest positive he saw was how the team didn’t quit when trailing by 14. Facison said the next step is to build continuity by the time Region 1-7A games begin in January.

Colquitt boys, on Thursday, begin play in the U Save It Classic that will be held at Monroe High School’s new gym on Lippitt Drive in Albany. The first opponent is Dougherty High at 4 p.m.. They will also take on Glynn Academy and Crisp County Friday and Saturday, each game to begin at 2:30 p.m..

LADY PACKERS

Rondesha Williams’ Colquitt County High girls basketball team only has two losses in nine games so far, but both are to Valdosta High. Behind 21 points from Ja’Nya Ferguson and 13 from Nia Allen, the Lady Wildcats held off the Lady Packers 53-47 Tuesday in Moultrie.

Eriyona Stokes had 16 points for Colquitt, Janiah Ellis 15 to go with four steals and Tionna Hunt 13. Tim’mya Sanders had four steals and Camille Singletary three.

Facing the Valdosta press in the first quarter, Hunt scored two field goals off passes from Sanders and Ellis. That capped off an 11-0 run for Colquitt, and with 1:03 on the clock Singletary caused a jump ball whistle to give her team possession. Hunt earned her own assist from the inbound with Ellis laying the basketball in for 13-8 Colquitt going into the second quarter.

Stokes found her 3-point range early in the new period off Ellis’ interception-like steal. That made for the biggest lead in the half for Colquitt, 16-8, but Valdosta steadily trimmed it all the way down to one at the break. Whether it was long outlet passes converted, running the floor off missed shots or going in the post, the Lady Wildcats established their tempo and penetrated to the rim to trail by one, 19-18.

Hunt answered with a put-back and, using Naia Benefield’s screen, found Stokes for another 3-ball. The Lady Wildcats had just one shot from long range in the half, and it came with 3.6 seconds on the clock for 24-23 Colquitt at intermission.

At 4:38 of the third period, Valdosta scored for the first time, and it was a 3 that kept them close 27-26. It was also the start of a 9-0 run flipping the game to its favor. With four points off turnovers, the visitors led 32-27 with at 2:30.

Ellis unleashed a 3 from the top of the key at the 40-second mark, but in that little time Valdosta hit two field goals for the lead of 39-34 after the third.

Stokes’ steal and score made for a quick Colquitt start to the fourth quarter, and three minutes in Hunt found Stokes open on the weak side for 3. Colquitt trailed by one 43-42. But the hosts never nudged ahead as the Lady Cats kept scoring off takeaways and pushed the ball from a defensive board and upped the advantage to six, 50-44, at 3:03.