TIFTON – The Tift County Blue Devils wrapped up the regular season region title Friday night as Tift teams honored senior athletes, recreation department teams and cancer survivors with special presentations.

The Devils improved to 5-0 in Region 1-AAAAAAA with a 65-56 victory over the Colquitt County Packers. The Lady Packers withstood an early Tift surge in winning, 61-32.

Tift’s lead only dwindled to seven points in the fourth quarter and they frequently led by double-digits Friday, but the game always felt much closer than it appeared.

“We’ll take it,” said Blue Devils head coach Chris Wade after the game, which saw his team improve to 16-6 overall.

Wade was very proud of his squad earning the No. 1 seed.

“It’s a testament to them,” he said, adding the players were able to shake off doubts and adversity to get to this position.

Tift led 28-21 at halftime and first made it a 10-point game (36-25) on a Marquavious Johnson drive to the basket at 3:33 in the third quarter.

Jabo Butler was fouled on a made basket at 1:59. He made the free throw to boost the score to 41-26. Single free throws by Jy Andrews and Tift’s Jatorian Warren kept it that margin, 42-27, heading into the fourth.

Colquitt cut slightly into the lead but it was still a 13-point game when J.J. McClain made free throws at 5:23. Colquitt cut it to 10, then nine points at 3:48 on a wild series of events.

Johnson had made the first of two free throws, when Wade was whistled for a technical foul. Johnson remained at the free throw line for a second attempt, then the ball immediately went to the Packers’ K.T. Wilson and he made both tries from the line.

The score was then 50-41, but the lead was soon 14 points again when Montavious Terrell converted an old-fashioned three-point play, then assisted Rashod Bateman on a basket.

The Packers had a brief 7-0 run – five points coming from Cam Singletary – that cut the score to 55-48, but another wild series put momentum back in Tift’s hands.

Bateman was fouled near his basket at 1:34, with Colquitt immediately being assessed a technical when the ball was slammed on the floor. Bateman made a free throw and Terrell made both technical shots for a 58-48 score.

Colquitt again cut it to seven on Montavious Ponder’s basket at 1:05. But needing to foul to regain possession, the Packers did so in a manner that resulted in an intentional foul being called. Terrell again made the free throws and Tift maintained possession.

Time ran out for the Packers with 13 seconds left when Johnson connected with Bateman on a slam dunk.

Singletary gave the Packers a 3-0 to start the game, but they soon fell behind as Tift took advantage on the eagerness of their guests.

Terrell went to the free throw line twice in the first quarter when he lured a defender into making contact as he attempted three-pointers. The second of these attempts went in, allowing him to convert a four-point play.

At other times, Colquitt defenders bit on Tift drives to the basket, which allowed for three easy buckets for McClain when they dished the ball to him.

The Devils were ahead 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Packers hung around, mostly courtesy of Singletary. It was a 24-21 Tift lead at 2:40 before they went to the locker room on a 4-0 streak.

“We did a lot of things well,” said Wade. He said it was a time out that allowed the Devils to regain composure in the fourth period and be able to break Colquitt’s press defense.

Terrell and Bateman accounted for more than half of the Devils’ points. Terrell had 20 and Bateman scored 19. McClain added nine points.

By himself, Singletary had exactly half of the Packers’ 56 points. Wilson and Marcus Anderson each added six.

COLQUITT 61 TIFT 32

Both squads lit of up the nets in the first quarter before Colquitt pulled away.

There were eight three-pointers in the first eight minutes of play.

Abiyah Spencer staked the Lady Packers to a 3-0 lead before Tift tied the game at 5-all on a long shot from Joslyn Reyes. Kaysie Harrelson made it 7-5 before Za’Nautica Downs hit a three-pointer for Colquitt.

Dueling three-pointers saw Tift go up 13-12 on a Nicky Jones shot (her second of the quarter), then Colquitt went ahead courtesy of Diamond Hall, then Destiny Johnson gave the Lady Devils their last lead at 16-15 when she hit a bank shot from the top of the key.

Spencer’s three-pointer with 55 seconds left gave Colquitt a 19-16 lead after they had tied it a minute earlier on a free throw.

Colquitt got five quick points to start the second quarter. Not surprisingly, one basket was a three-pointer by Hall. The Lady Devils got to within six points twice: once at 24-18 on a Jones lay-up and a 26-20 on an offensive rebound by Jamia Level.

But Colquitt began surging. Hall and Downs each scored five points as they ended the half on an 11-0 run.

The run kept going in the third quarter.

With the Lady Pack already up 37-20 at the break, they extended it 47-20 before Harrelson broke the silence with a three-point shot. However, the last two quarters were too much Colquitt.

Tift entered the fourth period down 33 points and were able to outscore their guests, 8-4, in the period as Colquitt only hit free throws. Harrelson had another three-pointer and Level finished up scoring with a put-back.

Jones and Harrelson each scored eight points for Tift County.

Hall, who was lights out all contest, ended the game with 31 points. Downs contributed 12.

Tift is to play at Coffee tonight before finishing up the regular season next Friday at Camden County.