Wayne Grandy
November 26, 2007 10:44 pm
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MOULTRIE — Colquitt County boys basketball fans who attend tonight’s season-opener against Worth County in the Gladys Espy Memorial Gymnasium may remember starters Eugene Woods and Chantting Stevenson from last year’s team.
Woods had a few starts last season. Stevenson got considerable playing time off the bench.
But the rest of the Packers who will go out against the Rams will be getting their first significant playing time.
Tonight’s card features the Colquitt County and Worth County boys B-teams squaring off at 4 p.m.
The Colquitt County varsity girls, who are 1-2 after playing in last week’s Charles Cooper Memorial Tip-off Tournament, will meet the Lady Rams at 6 p.m.
The game will be the first at the Espy Gymnasium for Lady Packers coach Rondesha Williams, who took over the program this year after Joe Parker left for South Effingham.
The varsity Packers, trying to improve on last year’s 11-16 record, will meet the Rams at 7:30 p.m.
The Packers lost nine seniors from the 2006-2007 team, including seven of their top players.
“We’re not as talented as we were last year,” Packers third-year coach Kirven Davis said. “It’s like we are starting over.
“But we’ll be better defensively.”
The Packers are expected to start Woods, Stevenson, senior Rashad Edmonds, junior Dominique Hadley and sophomore Nathaniel Hill.
The rest of the roster includes Brian Berl, Amel Magwood, Dominique Presley, James Taylor, Matt Cannon and Eric Key.
Davis said his team had a strong summer, but in their scrimmage against Cairo on Nov. 13, the Packers fell 74-41.
“I wasn’t disappointed in how we played against Cairo,” Davis said. “We didn’t have Berl and Stevenson, so that’s 20 points we were missing right there.
“We played well the first half, but in the second half, our lack of depth showed.
Davis said Worth County, coached by former Packer Andy Harden, lost three players from last year’s team, but has “seven or eight guys who had significant playing time. They’ll be experienced. They’ll be one of strongest teams in AAA this year. It’ll be good to get a test early.
“And it’s turning into a rivalry, with Coach Harden being from here.”
Colquitt County will be back in action on Friday when Monroe visits.
The boys game will be especially meaningful for Davis.
He will be going head-to-head with his younger brother Marquis, who has taken over as the head coach of the Tornadoes this season.
Marquis had been assistant at Dougherty, where both he and Kirven played high school ball.
“It’s been sort of the talk of the town,” Kirven said, mentioning that the two brothers cut hair in an Albany shop on Saturdays and there is likely to be a big crowd from Dougherty County on hand Friday night.
Colquitt County and Worth County will meet again on Saturday in Sylvester.
PACKERS NOTES: Season passes to all Colquitt County home basketball dates will be on sale tonight and Friday night, when the Packers and Lady Packers play host to Monroe.
The cost of the season pass is $30. Not only will it give admission to all nine regularly schedule game dates, but also will enable the holder to attend all three days of the Packer Roundball Classic on Dec. 27-29.
Admission to home games is $5. Admission to the Roundball Classic is $8.
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