TIFTON – The Tift County Blue Devils ran their Region 1-AAAAAAA record to 3-0 Saturday night, but the Lady Devils are still looking for their first after the locals split with visiting Colquitt County.

The Blue Devils dominated offensively in defensively in smashing the Packers 67-33. The Lady Packers took an early lead against Tift and refused to let go, winning 49-33.

Colquitt only has a pair of wins to its credit for 2018-19, none since Dec. 11. Friday was their worst defeat of the year and one that started ugly and grew worse.

The Packers scored the first basket of the game when Henry Daniels slipped behind the defense. At 3:44 in the opening period, he knotted the game at 7-all on a free throw from a foul on a made basket. There were few highlights after for the visitors from Moultrie.

Tift went on a 21-4 tear over the next eight minutes, scoring in every which way. Marquavius Johnson score off a steal, Ron Jackson hit two three-pointers, Jatorion Warren dunked, Tyree Marshall made free throws and twice the Blue Devils scored under the basket directly on inbounds passes.

Colquitt had two baskets in the second period, one of which – a three-pointer by Tyler Walker – came with six seconds remaining. That bucket made it 33-16 at the break.

For as little mercy as Tift delivered their guests, the third quarter was more devastating than the second. The Devils scored 14 of the first 16 points of the quarter. In the midst of this was an 11-0 run that saw Johnson score seven points and dish out two assists to McKenzie Jackson after penetrating the lane.

Tift was rolling so well that even when Jackson missed two free throws, he wound up with two points by stealing the ball before the Packers moved the defensive rebound out of the paint. The Devils went up 30 with two minutes to go in the quarter before permanently hitting the margin on a Marshall free throw with 39 seconds remaining.

With a score of 53-21 at the end of three quarters, the scoreboard switch to a six-minute fourth for the mercy rule. It also meant a rare opportunity for Tift’s entire bench to play.

Tye Conner scored four points in the final period and Bryce Marta and Julius Sims recorded their first points of the season.

Johnson led the way for Tift County with 23 points, his fourth straight game of 22+. He is averaging 20 points per game and when the third period ended, he and the Packers were event in points (21). Warren aided the cause with 11 points. Conner, McKenzie Jackson and Ron Jackson all had six points.

Colquitt got eight points from Walker and Lemeke Brockington. Elijah Scott chipped in seven.

COLQUITT 49, LADY DEVILS 33

The Lady Devils fell victim to a slow start Saturday. Behind a three-pointer by Janiah Ellis and baskets from Tim’mya Sanders and Naia Benefield, they fell into a 7-0 hole in the first two minutes of action.

They rallied to cut that deficit to four points twice in the period. Destiny Johnson’s free throw made it 7-3 and they were later down 11-7 when Kyra Williams made two free throws. But the Lady Pack scored the last six points of the first stanza for a 17-7 advantage.

Tift had a string of six of eight points to begin the second and when Shakiria Chaney hit off an offensive rebound at 6:03, they were down 19-13 and poised to make a game of it. Then Tionna Hunt made two three-pointers, shutting the door on any comeback. Colquitt added another three-point play in the half, three free throws by Ellis.

Colquitt led 32-19 at intermission, but the second half was almost even.

The Lady Packers were held without a basket for the first six minutes of the third quarter, which let Tift cut the lead to single digits on an Annah Daniels shot. They outscored Colquitt 8-7 in the fourth.

Ellis scored 21 for Colquitt, 11 in the second half. Hunt added 12 points.

Tift’s scoring leaders were Chaney at 13 points and Daniels with five.

Tift County will only play once next week. They host Lowndes Friday.