MOULTRIE – This was not the way the Colquitt County girls basketball team wanted to start the 2023 portion of its schedule.

The Lady Packers scored just two points in the second quarter, were down by 23 at the half and, despite cutting their deficit to nine twice in the fourth quarter, fell to visiting Deerfield-Windsor of Albany 57-42 on Tuesday on the William Bryant Court.

Lady Packers, now 7-5, were coming off an encouraging 63-61 victory over Turner County in the final game of the Vereen Christmas Shootout the previous Friday, but could not build on that momentum.

And the start of Region 1-7A play looms with games at Camden County on Friday and at Richmond Hill, which is 10-3 and ranked No. 16 in the state, on Saturday.

Not that Deerfield-Windsor is not a solid opponent.

The Lady Knights are now 10-1 and are ranked No. 1 in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association. Their only loss was by a 61-58 score to Monroe in the final game of the Deerfield-Windsor Christmas Classic.

But one game after scoring 63 points, the Lady Packers managed just three baskets in the first half against Deerfield and trailed 31-8 as they headed to the locker room.

Down by 16 heading into the final quarter, Colquitt closed to within nine on a pair of Amareyia Knighton free throws with 4:01 left in the game and again to within nine on another Knighton free throw with 2:04 remaining.

But the Lady Knights got a pair of baskets and four free throws in the final 52 seconds to get the win.

Deerfield got a big game from junior Gabrielle Harris, who scored 32 points, including 14 in the first half as the Lady Knights put an insurmountable distance between themselves and their hosts.

Knighton led the Lady Packers with 17 points, including 13 after intermission as Colquitt tried to make a game of it.

D’Zeriyah Polite had 10, Carliss Johnson added seven, Jamya Moore had five and Jermani Triplett added a basket.

Colquitt, which had been bedeviled by poor free throw shooting in its first 11 games, hit 9-of-13 against Deerfield, but for nought.

The Colquitt County boys did not play on Tuesday, but both teams will be in action on the trip east to Kingsland and Richmond Hill this weekend.

On Friday, the 1-7 Packers will meet Camden County, which opened with four straight losses, but has gone 7-2 since.

Colquitt will meet the 5-9 Richmond Hill boys on Saturday.

The Lady Packers will try to get back on track when they meet the 5-8 Camden County girls on Friday.

The Lady Wildcats, who lost their last game 62-25 at home against Bradwell Institute, also have played Deerfield-Windsor this season, losing 54-24 back on Nov. 12.