MOULTRIE – COVID-19 concerns have led the Colquitt County basketball program to cancel all games except Region 1-7A contests for the rest of the season.

The decision came after the Lady Packers and Packers dropped a pair of games at Lee County on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and then faced quarantines.

Non-region games against Lee County scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 23; Valdosta, Jan. 26; Bainbridge, Jan. 30; Valdosta, Feb. 2; and Brookwood, Feb. 8, have been canceled.

The region games at Camden County scheduled for Friday, Jan. 22, have been moved to Monday, Feb. 1.

The rest of the season’s schedule includes games at Lowndes on Wednesday, Feb. 3; home against Lowndes on Friday, Feb. 5; and home against Tift County on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Senior Night will be observed between the boys and girls games against Tift County.

Because of the quarantine, those final four games, all against region opponents, will be played over seven days.

Also in deference to the virus pandemic, the region tournament, which will be played at Lowndes, will be stretched over five days – February 13, 15, 16, 18 and 19 – with only one game played per night.

“There will be no doubleheaders,” Colquitt County girls coach Rondesha Williams said. “It’s a good concept. It will limit the number of people in the gym and give time to clean and sanitize.”

By the time the Lady Packers and Packers play again on Feb. 1, they will have endured a 12-day layoff.

The Colquitt County girls are 8-6 overall and 1-1 in region games. The boys team is 7-6 and 0-2.

Williams noted that both the boys and girls teams have been forced into coronavirus quarantines this week.

“I guess it’s just our time,” Williams said, noting that the Lowndes and Camden County teams have been quarantined lately. “We just have to do what we can to keep healthy.”

Colquitt County schools were on Friday and will be closed all next week after coronavirus cases and quarantines left staff and substitute reserves depleted.

According to a report released on Monday, Jan. 18, the system had 33 COVID-positive staff, but 101 were quarantined because of potential exposure to the virus.

In their game played last Tuesday in Leesburg, the Lady Packers lost 47-38, despite 14 points by Carliss Johnson and a season-high 13 by Heaven Robinson.

The Colquitt County boys team fell 67-54.