Colquitt County’s Caylnn Singletary gets loose underneath the Richmond Hill basket.

MOULTRIE, Ga – Colquitt County’s Lady Packers won their final Region 1-7A tournament game against Richmond Hill on Thursday at Valdosta High School, 47-35.

This secures the Colquitt girls the region’s third seed in the upcoming state tournament that begins Feb. 21.

The first two baskets belonged to the Lady Packers. With 7:04 remaining in the quarter, Carliss Johnson was the first to earn points by making a three-point shot, and then 30 seconds later D’Zeriyah Polite stole the ball from the Wildcats and got another two points.

Caylnn Singletary also got one 3-point basket in the first quarter, and she brought in a total of five points throughout the game.

The second quarter started much the same as the first — the Lady Packers came out and dominated the court, getting the first basket, another 3-pointer, this time shot by Jamya Moore. She got another long shot before halftime. Though those were the only two baskets for Moore this game, she was still tied for the second highest scorer.

Ameris Johnson was the other Lady Packer who got six points against Richmond Hill. 

Polite also scored a basket in the second quarter, giving her the total four points she brought in for her team.

By halftime the Lady Packers had defined the tone for the game, and had a lead of 12 points at 24-11. 

“The proof is in the pudding,” said head coach Rondesha Williams. “This is a perfect example of how we play inconsistently. We are a good team. This was a good confidence booster.”

Though they weren’t long shots, Colquitt County kept the pattern up and scored the first basket in both quarters in the second half as well.

Carliss Johnson got another 3-point shot halfway through the third quarter. She was the top scorer for the Lady Packer by 15 points with a total of 21 points.  

In the fourth quarter, with 2:40 left in the game, players Carliss Johnson and Ameris Johnson were successful in utilizing an under-the-basket play not only twice, but back-to-back. This got four points for the Lady Packers, and gave them a 10 point margin over the Wildcats.

Thirty-two seconds remained in the game when Richmond Hill received its sixth foul of the quarter and Colquitt County received a bonus. Carliss Johnson got fouled twice during those seconds, and was able to sink all four free throws, which gave the Lady Packers their final four points.

“I got on to them after last week,” said Williams. “They gotta know no one can stop you. And that’s a good life lesson, not just for basketball. You gotta keep going no matter what.”

The Lady Packers get a rest until next week when the state tournament begins.

“We’ve been in this position before,” said Williams referring to their placement in the state tournament. “We know what to expect. Atlanta plays all year-round unlike us and we have to come ready to play Lady Packers basketball.”

The Packers will be playing their final region tournament game Friday night at Valdosta High school against Camden County. Like their counterparts, they are going to try and secure the third place seed for the state tournament.