Packers fall by one to Camden, take No. 3 seed

Published 5:23 pm Thursday, February 18, 2021

MOULTRIE – All four Region 1-4A teams qualify for the GHSA state basketball tournament this year, meaning the Colquitt County boys were guaranteed a berth in the 32-team field.

But last week’s 71-47 victory over Lowndes in the first round of the region tournament gave the Packers the satisfaction of feeling as if they earned their way into the state event.

The Packers could not build on the win over Lowndes on Wednesday, however, coming up short in the region semifinal game, falling to Camden County 45-44.

Camden advanced to meet Tift County in Friday’s region championship game.

The Packers will be the No. 3 seed from Region 1 in the state tournament and will travel to the Atlanta area next Tuesday for their first-round state tournament game against the Region 4 runner-up, expected to be Parkview.

The Packers will take a 9-9 overall record into the state tournament, but they were close to earning a berth in the region championship game against Tift County.

Colquitt County and Camden County had split their two region games, with each team winning in the other’s home gymnasium.

The Packers had a lead with just over a minute remaining in Wednesday’s region tournament game at Lowndes, but “we were careless with the ball,” Packers coach Tremaine Facison said.

“The basketball gods told on us,” Facison said after his over-achieving team was overcome by poor decision-making, bad free-throw shooting and turnovers, especially down the stretch. “We missed a ton of layups. We were up by one with a minute and change left, but we just couldn’t finish.”

That was the difference in a game in which neither team led by more than five points.

Dy Williams led the Packers with 16 points and Baby D Wheeler turned in another outstanding game working on the opposing team’s top player.

“In my opinion, he is the region’s defensive player of the year,” Facison said. “I always put him on the other team’s best player. He’s always competing and always encouraging the other guys to play hard. He’s a special kid.”

Facison said he doesn’t think his team will travel to Atlanta lacking in confidence after beating each of the three other region teams, including Tift County, during the season.

“For me, I know they can do it,” Facison said. “They’ve proved it time and time again this season.”

The Colquitt County girls were scheduled to play in the region championship game on Thursday at Lowndes. The game was moved to Friday.