Colquitt boys win, keep
top seed hopes alive

Published 10:13 am Sunday, February 2, 2025

MOULTRIE – The Colquitt County boys have kept alive their quest for the top seed in the Region 1-6A tournament after defeating Camden County on Saturday.
After dropping successive Region 1-6A home games to Tift County and Lowndes earlier in the week, the Colquitt County boys took a lead with 5:33 left in the game and held on for a 47-41 victory.
The Packers are now 6-3 and in first place in the region with just a game at Valdosta on Tuesday remaining before the region tournament.
With six teams in the region this year, the top two regular-season finishers will get first-round region tournament byes and automatic berths in the state tournament.
Valdosta and Tift County are 5-3 and also in the hunt for one of the top two seeds.
A win over Valdosta on Tuesday would clinch no worse than second place for the Packers.
Colquitt beat Valdosta 45-43 on January 14 at home with a short jumper by Marcus Moore with 24.6 seconds left providing the winning points.
“We still control our own destiny,” Packers coach Andy Harden said following Saturday’s win, which also raised his team’s overall record to 14-5.
The Packers won their first four region games this season, but just two of five since then.
They took disappointing a home loss to Tift County on Tuesday on a last-second basket by the Blue Devils’ Quay Bell.
And on Friday, the Packers managed just 12 points in the second half and fell to Lowndes 50-37.
Colquitt struggled again on Saturday.
The Packers led 37-31 after three quarters, but 3-pointers by Camden’s Micah Reed and Jonathan Jones tied the game 37-37 just 65 seconds into the quarter.
A basket and two free throws by Kanilyn Jones and a 3-pointer by Marcus Moore got the Packers up by seven with 4:03 left.
Reed hit his seventh 3-pointer of the game with 3:40 remaining and added a free throw with 1:38 left, but Camden County could not get closer than three points.
A free throw by Jakari Byrd and two by Moore in the closing seconds sealed the victory.
Despite his team getting a win after two straight home losses over the previous four days, Harden was not particularly pleased with the way his team played.
“We still do dumb things,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t do the things that got us there.
“But we found a way to get it done.”
Moore led the Packers with 13 points. Byrd added 12, including 11 in the first half.
Cason Harden had nine, Jones seven and Zi Alridge and Alexis Barge three each.
In addition to his seven 3-pointers, Camden’s Micah Reed added a free throw for a game-high 22 points.
Jones added eight, Caleb Reed had five, David Coleman had four and Jaydon Ayala had two.
In Saturday’s first game, the Lady Packers let a one-point halftime lead slip away in a 55-44 loss.
Colquitt’s girls were outscored 30-18 in the second half.
The loss drops the Lady Packers to 3-6 in the region and 14-7 overall.
Amareyia Knighton led Colquitt girls with 22 points and hit all six of her free throws
Amira Walters-Smith added 14. Nacardia Robinson and Caylnn Singletary each had three and Kamya Battle had two free throws.
Mahliya Reed led Camden County with 18 points. Tytionna Scott added 12.
Colquitt County’s girls have lost four of their last five games heading into their regular-season finale on Tuesday at Valdosta.
Colquitt defeated the Lady Cats 70-41 on January 14 in Valdosta.

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