MOULTRIE – The Colquitt County boys basketball team defeated Tift County 46-44 on the William Bryant Court last Friday to claim their Region 1-7A opener and extend their winning streak to six games.

But the Packers were flat on Saturday at Westover and fell to the Patriots 70-59 and will take a 6-9 record into their region game at Camden County on Tuesday.

The Colquitt County-Camden County boys game had been scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7, but the Packers did not make the trip to Kingsland because of a positive COVID-19 test.

Nathan Harden had 19 points and Montana Edwards added 11, including several key free throws down the stretch, in the victory over the Blue Devils.

Tift County had long been a Colquitt County nemesis, but the Packers beat the Blue Devils twice two years ago and the two teams split last season.

Colquitt County coach Tremaine Facison sees his team playing with more confidence against the Blue Devils.

“We controlled the whole game, we just couldn’t seem to put them away,” Facison said.

Dy Williams and Jakari Byrd each chipped in five points in the satisfying victory over the Blue Devils, who fall to 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the region.

“Tift had dominated us for so long,” Facison said. “This is a real blessing.”

But the Packers had nothing left for Westover.

Colquitt had lost its first eight games of the season, then strung together victories over Wayne County, Cook, Deerfield-Windsor, Coffee, Thomas County Central and Tift County to get its record to 6-8.

The Packers were unable to extend the streak in Albany when the Patriots controlled the transition game.

“It was an eye-opener for us,” Facison said of the loss to Westover, which is 13-2 and one of the top Class 4A programs in the state. “We know what we need to fix. I’m glad we got it out of the way and I’m excited we have a chance to go 2-0 in the region on Tuesday.”

Facison said he can’t remember when the Packers started region play with two straight wins, but believes his team has a chance to do it in Kingsland on Tuesday.

“A lot of people had written us off when we were 0-8,” Facison said. “But we as a coaching staff have believed in these kids.

“I really love coaching these kids. They do everything we tell them to do and they enjoy being around each other. I’m excited about the road we are taking.”

The Colquitt girls, playing without starting point guard Jamya Moore, dropped their games to Tift County and Westover.

The Tift County girls won Friday’s opener, defeating the Lady Packers 57-46 to raise their record to 2-0 in the region.

Colquitt County, which fell to 1-1 in region games, was led in scoring by Carliss Johnson, who had 18 points.

D’Zeryiah Polite and Gracie Belle Paulk each had eight; Amareyia Knighton had seven; Ameris Johnson had three; and Heaven Robinson had two.

Ameris Johnson led the Lady Packers with 10 rebounds.

The Lady Packers were 0-for-15 in 3-point attempts, while Tift County hit eight 3-pointers, including six in the second quarter.

Tamyra Carter led Tift County with 16 points. Shakiria Chaney had 12.

On Saturday, the Lady Packers fell 53-44 to Westover, a team they had defeated 45-42 in overtime on Dec. 10.

Polite led the Colquitt County girls with 15 points.

Carliss Johnson had 11; Robinson had nine; Knighton and Paulk each had four; and Ameris Johnson added a free throw.

The Lady Packers have dropped three of their last four games and will take a 7-7 record into Tuesday’s 6 p.m. home game against Bainbridge.

The Colquitt girls beat the Lady Bearcats 46-43 on Dec. 14 in Bainbridge.

The Lady Packers and Packers will be home on Friday for a pair of region games against Lowndes and will play host to Monroe on Saturday.