Courtney Terrell took a three-set victory at No. 1 singles to give Colquitt County a 3-2 victory over Ridge on Friday that qualified the Lady Packers for the Wildcat Invitational finals.

MOULTRIE – Courtney Terrell won a third-set tiebreaker on Friday to send the Colquitt County girls tennis team to the championship match of the Wildcat Invitational in Valdosta.

The Lady Packers were scheduled to meet Tift County for the championship on Saturday, but the second day of the tournament was rained out.

Colquitt County girls coach Brad Roberts said the Lady Packers and Lady Devils will meet for the title later, although a date had not been determined on Saturday.

The Colquitt County boys split their two matches on Friday and were to play for third place against Brookstone High of Columbus on on Saturday.

That match, too, was rained out and is unlikely to be made up, Colquitt County boys coach Grant Hammack said.

The Lady Packers opened with Thomas County Central and won 5-0.

Terrell won at No. 1 singles 7-6, 6-4. Shianna Corley, playing No. 2 singles won 6-2, 6-1 and Carey Tyler, playing No. 3 singles, dropped the first set 2-6, but rallied to win the next two, 6-0, 10-7.

At No. 1 doubles, Haley Trebony and Rachel Bostick won 6-0, 6-1. Shelby Thomas and Anna Barber won at No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-0.

That sent the Lady Packers on to face River Ridge, a Class AAAAA school from Woodstock.

Corley lost her first set at No. 2 singles, but then was too ill continue and lost by default. Tyler fell 3-6, 6-7 at No. 3 singles.

Both doubles teams won. Trebony and Bostick won 6-1, 6-4 and Thomas and Barber won 6-1, 6-1.

That left Terrell on the court with the match tied 2-2.

 The Lady Packers senior had lost her first set 3-6, then came back to win the second 6-4.

She finally clinched it for Colquitt County with 11-9 win the third set tiebreaker.

“We had a big celebration after that,” said coach Brad Roberts.

But the celebration did not last long.

Although they missed an opportunity to win the tournament championship, the Lady Packers have to put their 1-0 Region 1-AAAAAA record on the line on Monday when they travel to Albany to meet Lee County at 4 p.m. at the Darton College courts.

The Colquitt County boys team drew Cook in the first round and advanced with a 4-1 win.

At No. 1 singles, Lance Shealy lost 3-6, 4-6, to Nick Rosetti, a familiar USTA opponent.

“Lance played very well,” Hammack said. “He had some real good ground strokes.”

Cody Jenkins won at No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-0 over Kaene McLaughlin. Playing in his first varsity singles match, Joseph Gould won over Tristan Walk 6-3, 6-0.

Jack Holloway and George Zeanah won over John Marshall and Thomas Faucett 3-6, 6-4, 10-3 at No. 1 doubles and Ashton Owens and Owen Harrell defeated J.T. Crosby and Kyle Epps 6-1, 7-6, at No. 2 doubles.

The Packers then lost 0-5 to a strong River Ridge team.

Shealy lost to Ben Von Hout 0-6, 2-6; Jenkins started strong, but fell to Clay McIntyre 3-6, 1-6; and Gould lost to Grady Chumley 2-6, 1-6.

Holloway and Zeanah fell to A.J. Joiner and Spencer Fedich 4-6, 2-6 and Harrell and Aaron Chui lost to Gabe Mims and Andrew Miller at No. 2 doubles, 0-6, 2-6.

The Packers played without No. 1 doubles players Drew Davis, who suffered a strained bicep on Thursday.

“We’ve played a couple of powerhouses,” Hammack said of the matches against Lowndes and River Ridge. “We need to get back to winning against Lee County on Monday.”