MOULTRIE – Etowah outscored the Colquitt County 7-2 over the final 1:16 and eliminated the Lady Packers with a 46-40 victory in a first-round state basketball tournament game on Tuesday on the William Bryant Court.
The Region 1-6A runner-up Lady Packers were unable to make use of the home-court advantage and end their first season under head coach Stephanie Cody with a 17-9 record.
The Lady Eagles, now 21-8, advance to face Buford on the road in the second round.
Buford, now 24-2, advanced with an 83-36 win over Chapel Hill.
Etowah’s six-point advantage at the final buzzer was the largest lead by either team in the game.
Colquitt took a 36-33 lead on a driving layup by Amira Walters-Smith with 7:07 left in the game.
Etowah’s Taylor Davis then pulled the visitors to within one with a pair of free throws with 6:12 left.
But the Lady Packers then missed a pair of free throws that would have given them a three-point lead with 5:08 remaining and the Lady Eagles took advantage.
Back-to-back driving layups by Savannah Aparacio put Etowah back in front 39-36 with 3:00 remaining and the Lady Eagles never surrendered the lead.
Davis took over the game in the fourth quarter for Etowah, scoring nine points on three baskets and three free throws.
Trailing by just a point heading into the final quarter, the Lady Packers were outscored 13-8 in the final eight minutes.
Colquitt struggled against the Etowah press in the early going and the game was tied 12-12 when Taylor Willis sank a pair of free throws with .3 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Lady Eagles led by a point at the half and by a point heading into the final quarter.
Davis led Etowah with 14 points. Aparicio scored 13.
The Colquitt County starting lineup was made up of four seniors and a sophomore.
Playing her final game for the Lady Packers, Walters-Smith scored 18 points and finished with more than 2,000 in her career.
Amareyia Knighton scored 12 in her final game as a Lady Packer and finishes her career with 1,290 points.
Caylnn Singletary, another senior, added six points.
Sophomore Nacardia Robinson had four points.
Robinson will be the Lady Packers only returning starter next season.
Two other Region 1-6A girls teams were eliminated on Tuesday: Richmond Hill fell 60-35 at North Paulding and Camden County lost 77-51 to Region 5 champion Cherokee.
Region champion Lowndes will play host to Marietta on Wednesday.