MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County boys basketball team trailed Bainbridge 34-26 after three quarters on Tuesday at the Decatur County Coliseum, but found it shooting eye in the final eight minute.

The Packers outscored the Bearcats 29-17 in the final eight minutes to raise their record to 3-0 as they prepare to travel to Bowling Green, Ky., later in the week to play in the Citizens First Classic.

Packers coach Kirven Davis said he was not surprised by his team’s ability to stage a big comeback.

“I don’t doubt them,” he said. “They are starting to believe in the system.”

Seniors Rashawn Melvin and Channing Hudson led the comeback, each scoring nine points in the fourth quarter.

Melvin’s came on three 3-pointers.

“We’ve got a senior ball club with a lot of varsity experience,” Davis said. “It showed tonight.”

Melvin led the Packers with 16 points. Hudson added 13, Eugene Woods had 11 and Andrew Wallace chipped in seven. Woods also had 11 rebounds.

“That was a big win for us on the road,” Davis said. “We needed that heading into the tournament.

The Packers will play next at 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18, against Louisville-Eastern in the opening round of the Citizens Fist Classic, which will be held at Bowling Green (Ky.) High School.

Colquitt also will play at 3 p.m. on Tuesday against Rossview (Tenn.) High.

Their third game will be at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20. The opponent will be determined by pool results.

In Tuesday’s first game in Bainbridge, the Lady Packers dropped their second straight, falling to the Lady Cats 44-43.

After defeating Ware County, Cairo and Worth County to open the season, Colquitt’s girls have dropped successive games to Worth and now Bainbridge.

The Lady Packers led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, but once falling behind in the second quarter never could catch the Lady Cats, who raised their record to 9-1.

“We couldn’t run any offense,” Lady Packers coach Joe Parker said. “And we kept them in the game by fouling them.”

Although Bainbridge did not run a full-court press, Colquitt’s girls turned the ball over 30 times.

“If losing this game is what it takes to gauge where we are, then maybe it was a good thing,” Parker said.

The game was the first since the team lost starting guard Laquita Smith for the season with a knee injury.

Colquitt was led offensively by Nicolle Thomas, who had 18 points. Taquella Coates added 14.

Nikki Hudson had six, Shay Lovett had two and Tiffany Troupe had a free throw.

Coates led the Lady Packers with 10 rebounds.

Colquitt was just 6-for-17 from the free throw line.

Parker said he was encouraged by the play of Lovett, a freshman who is starting in place of Smith.

Lovett had just two turnovers, came up with two steals and had four rebounds.

“She didn’t do a bad job,” Parker said.

The Lady Packers will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 21, in the Great Southern Shootout at Westside-Macon High School.