By Wayne Grandy

wayne.grandy@gaflnews.com

MOULTRIE - The Colquitt County High basketball teams have three more games in which to prepare for their Region 1-AAAAA openers and those games will be in the friendly confines of the Gladys Espy Gymnasium beginning Monday.

The Packers and Lady Packers will play host to the third annual Colquitt County Roundball Classic on Monday through Wednesday at the Espy Gymnasium with nine girls and nine boys teams competing.

Play will begin each day at 9:30 a.m. The Colquitt County boys will play in the final game at 8:30 p.m. each day.

Girls teams from Albany, Lee County, Stockbridge, Monroe, Savannah, Dougherty and Colquitt County will each play three games. Camden County will play twice and Westover will play one game.

Boys teams from Miller County, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro, Central-Miami, Monroe, Stockbridge, St. Francis of Alpharetta and Colquitt County will play each day. The Lee County boys will play two games. Mitchell County’s boys will play once.

The Colquitt County teams will try to build on victories in their final games of their Christmas tournaments.

The Colquitt County girls opened the season with four straight victories before dropping their first two games - to Valdosta and Lowndes - in the Randall Godfrey Christmas Classic at Lowndes High.

The Lady Packers finished the tournament with 44-43 victory over Worth County courtesy of a final-seconds basket by Nicolle Thomas.

Colquitt County girls coach Rondesha Williams should have little trouble getting up for Monday’s Roundball Classic opener against Dougherty, where she served as an assistant before taking over the Colquitt County program last season.

Dougherty should provide a test for the Lady Packers.

Coach Charlene Jackson has led her team to a 6-1 record. The Lady Trojans opened with five straight victories before suffering a 46-35 loss to Taylor County.

Dougherty is led by Tiffany Anderson, who has five double-doubles in her team’s seven games. Among her best efforts were a 31-point, 11-rebound effort in a 59-34 victory over Cairo on Tuesday and a 27-point, 10-rebound game in a 45-37 win over Eastside.