TIFTON — There was a celebration Friday night at Tift County High School. Arch-rival Colquitt County was in town for a pair of basketball games but the Lady Devils and Blue Devils pulled off a pair of victories.

“We needed that,” said Lady Devils head coach Julie Conner-Johnson of her squad’s first Region 1-6A triumph of the season. It came by a perhaps surprising 47-36 score with Tift dominating the glass on both ends of the floor.

For one of the few times in history, Tift’s Blue Devils were perhaps not the odds-on favorite to win over the Packers at The Palace, but they did so in thrilling 47-43 fashion. The loss was Colquitt’s first of the year in the region.

The Friendly City has not been too giving to the Packers over the years in basketball. Tift has not lost to Colquitt in Tifton since 2001.

It certainly didn’t come easy Friday. After a quarter, it appeared that that the Packers were going to end the streak with ease as they led 17-9. Distance shooting keyed the Pack early — three three-pointers in the first seven minutes, plus a steal and hoop by Cason Harden with five seconds remaining in the quarter.

Jakari Byrd stretched Colquitt’s lead to 19-9 18 seconds into the second quarter. Tift had work to do to get back in the game.

For that, the Blue Devils had J.J. Lamar. He’s stepped up his game considerably over the course of his senior year, and he had 27 big points in this contest, putting the team on his shoulders at every crucial moment.

Lamar and a jumper and a trey over the next two minutes to halve the lead to 19-14. Harden made another three, but the tide was turning. Lamar had another jumper at 1:22 and a drive to the hoop rolled around the rim before falling through at the horn to get the Devils to 23-20.

On the other end of the floor, Colquitt found themselves flustered. There was always man coverage on Harden to keep him from clear shots and underneath the basket, the Packers had no luck at all. Tift had an unofficial eight blocks in the first half, six by Kaden Lawson.

To say the second half was close would be an understatement. Neither team held a lead of more than three points until a pair of Lamar free throws with six seconds to go.

Two Cordell Nelson blocks greeted Colquitt as Lamar tied the score at 23 at 6:35.  They took their first lead since early ini the first frame three minutes later, 27-26, on a long pass by Lawson to Dai’jon Hayes.

Colquitt came back, with four big points by Marcus Moore to go back up 30-29. But immediately after came a technical foul and over next 13 seconds, Lamar hit three of four at the stripe to give the advantage back to the hosts.

It went to 32-all on Harden free throws, but Tift went into the fourth clinging to a narrow 34-32 lead when a hustling Quay Bell scored on an offensive rebound with five ticks left.

Harden was left open once in the second half, burying the Pack’s only three-ball over those 16 minutes to go ahead 37-36. Lamar and Quan Kinsey traded buckets, and a one-point lead.

Up 39-38, the Packers got a break on an unusual team tech. Tift County sent a sub late to the table and he ran on the floor without being whistled in. Harden hit both free throws at 4:47.

Neither side scored for two minutes, when Bell was fouled under the goal. He went 2-of-2 at the stripe and it was a one-point game again, 41-40.

Moore got a fallaway shot to go down at 2:22, breathing room for Colquitt at 43-40. It didn’t keep.

Lamar hit a free throw at 2:04. Lawson needed all of his 6-8 height and wingspan to reel in a tall pass in the block, depositing it into the net at 1:25. Tied again.

The pressure was now on Colquitt. They missed a shot, reeled in by Nelson. On the other end, he was left unguarded in the paint,. Nelson went up for the dunk, but was fouled. He got one free throw with 44 seconds left for a narrow, uncomfortable 44-43 advantage.

Disaster struck for the Packers, Lamar swiping the ball and heading the other way. He was fouled on a layup, getting one charity shot to go down with 30 seconds left.

Tift then forced another turnover, Nelson coming up with the ball. A shot was missed on their end, though and CCHS had the length of the court to go with nine seconds to spare.

They didn’t make it to halfcourt.

Hayes pressured his man, who lost the ball out of bounds. Tift County got it in to Lamar and as he did all game, he came through in the clutch. Six seconds were on the clock when he went to the free throw stripe and made both to ensure the win.

Outside of Lamar’s 27, Lawson deposited six points for the Blue Devils. Tift totaled an unofficial 13 blocks.

Harden scored 18 for Colquitt, with Byrd at 12.

LADY DEVILS 47, COLQUITT 36

Three days earlier, Tift County was hurting. Without Makayla Bryant or Jimmya Cushion, they struggled in a loss to Coffee.

Friday was a different story entirely.

Tift trailed at the end of the first quarter, 10-9, on a drive by Amira Walters-Smith, but when Ke’nashah Mitchell scored on a fast break 30 seconds into quarter No. 2, they didn’t trail again.

The Lady Devils’ work on the boards was outstanding, Conner-Johnson said. Though she didn’t have stats in front of her, the Tift leader had no doubt Mackenzie Holliday had a double-double. One second half series saw Holliday grab three rebounds before finally being fouled.

Jalaya Miller had two first-quarter treys as they built an early 9-2 lead. The Lady Packers scored the next eight, four by Walters-Smith for that lone lead.

After putting them ahead for good, Mitchell had a big offensive board and assist to Miller. A Miller triple and Holliday basket made it 18-10 midway through the second frame.

Amareyia Knighton had two threes to keep the guests afloat, the second narrowing the gap to 20-16 at 2:45. But Amira Jordan, Jaziyah Johnson and Miller lead a 6-0 run to end the half, making the lead more comfortable at 26-16.

The big Holliday series of offensive rebounds made it 31-17 at 4:28 in the third. Colquitt pushed back in, a 7-0 ending with Knighton going the end of the floor to score.

Once again, the Lady Devils had answers.

Miller free throws and treys by Johnson and Mariyah Batts ended the third and opened the fourth. The lead was 15, 39-24.

Tift weathered another storm, as Nacardia Robinson closed again to eight points, 39-31 with 4:26 to go.

Jordan patiently worked the post for two buckets. Holliday did the same during an 8-0 streak that put the game out of reach at 47-31.

Miller scored 15, Holliday had 13 and Jordan 9. Only three Lady Packers pointed for the night: Knighton with 20, Robinson at 9 and Walters-Smith at 7.