MOULTRIE — Colquitt County girls basketball coach Joe Parker assessed his team’s 72-38 loss to Carver High of Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday like this.

“They just hit jumper after jumper after jumper after jumper,” Parker said. “And we couldn’t throw it in the ocean.”

The loss to the Lady Vikings in the first round of the Great Southern Shootout being held at Westside-Macon High sends the Lady Packers to a 10:30 a.m. game today against either Meadowcreek or tournament host Westside.

The loss was the third in a row for the Lady Packers, who opened with three straight victories, and came despite an excellent performance by Taquella Coates.

The junior post player had a double-double, scoring 22 points, while going 8-for-12 from the floor, and adding 10 rebounds. Coates had 10 points in the second quarter and was from 6-for-6 from the free throw line while going up a Carver front line that had three girls 6-2 or taller.

“If you want to play like you are going after a college scholarship, she did it today,” Parker said.

But the rest of the team managed just 16 points, led by Nikki Hudson’s five.

Nicolle Thomas and Ashley Patillo each had four, Tiffany Troupe had two and Shay Lovett added a free throw.

The Lady Packers were just 12-for-55 from the floor and missed all seven of their 3-point attempts.

Carver played 14 girls and seven scored. Four were in double figures, including DeAngela Sword who had 16 points.

Colquitt got down quickly and trailed 21-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Packers were down 39-21 at the end of the half.

“The difference was a lack of being able to stick the ball in the basket,” Parker said. “But we lost to a pretty good team.”

The Lady Packers will play their final game in the tournament on Saturday.

Following the tournament in Macon, the Lady Packers will be off until Thursday, when they play their first game in the Packer Roundball Classic at 7 p.m. against Boyd Anderson High of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.