MARIETTA – The Colquitt County boys basketball team drew one of the top-ranked teams in the nation on Wednesday in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament and the Packers were unable to keep up, falling 90-38.
The Packers had to travel to Marietta to face a Wheeler team that is now 25-3 and ranked No. 13 in the country.
The Wildcats reached the 90-point plateau for the seventh time this season and are averaging more than 76 points a game.
The loss marked the sixth season in a row that the Colquitt County boys have fallen in the first round of the state tournament.
The Packers opened the season with seven straight victories and won their first four Region 1-6A games.
But they lost their last two games of the region tournament and, as the No. 4 team, were forced to travel and play the loaded Wildcats.
Colquitt finishes 15-9, recording the most wins by a Packers team since the 2016-2017 team went 22-7.
Two of the losses came on buzzer-beating 3-pointers against Tift County.
Colquitt will lose three starters from this year’s team, including leading scorer Kanilyn Jones.
JaKari Byrd and Quan Kinsey also will graduate.
But the Packers will have starters Cason Harden and Marcus Moore back as seniors for the 2025-2026 season.
Both averaged nearly 12 points a game.
All four Region 1 boys teams were eliminated in the first round on Wednesday.
Tift County lost 67-31 to Walton; Lowndes fell to Cherokee 56-50; and Valdosta was ousted by Etowah 61-53.