VALDOSTA — It will be Valdosta and Lowndes meeting again Saturday for the Region 1-6A championship after both won semifinals games Thursday night at VHS.

No. 1 seed Valdosta defeated No. 4 Colquitt County, 57-44, while No. 3 Lowndes outlasted No. 2 Tift County in overtime, 53-42.

Colquitt and Tift are to play at 5:30 p.m., with Valdosta versus Lowndes at 7 p.m. Regardless of result, all four teams will advance to the state tournament next week. The top two teams are guaranteed first-round home games.

It will be a chance for both the Vikings and Packers to reverse regular season results. Both teams were swept in region play this season by their opponents.

With Lowndes’ Vikettes taking on Colquitt in Friday’s Region 1-6A girls finals at Camden County, LHS has a chance to sweep titles for the third time in five years.

The Vikettes won over Richmond Hill Wednesday 45-34. Colquitt, the No. 4 seed, upset No. 1 Camden, 50-45.

‘CATS 57, COLQUITT 44

Kanilyn Jones free throws allowed the Packers to build an 11-7 lead after a quarter, but the tide turned in the second period.

Brandon Brown’s deep three tied it at 13 at 5:47 and free shots by Brown and Jabarri Williams had Valdosta ahead 17-13. Marcus Moore got Colquitt within one at 17-16 on a three-ball, but when Williams went coast-to-coast on a defensive rebound, finishing with a left hand, Valdosta had all the momentum.

Valdosta led 22-18 at halftime.

Colquitt hung around for half the third frame, getting back-to-back baskets to make it 26-24. They were still hanging in when Moore had a response to a 6-0 VHS run.

But the Pack’s hopes of their first region title since 1983 ended there. Braylan Deas and Brown hit three from deep during the last two minutes of the third quarter, putting the Wildcats comfortably ahead at 41-28.

Brown and Terrell Walker each had a triple in the fourth, making it a 50-31 game with four minutes left. Moore and Cason Harden had threes for Colquitt but it was two late. Valdosta hit four free throws in the closing seconds for the final score.

Brown led the way for both teams with 22 points. Williams and Deas each added 9 for VHS. Moore scored 12 points for Colquitt, with Jones at 10.

VIKINGS 53, TIFT 42 (OT)

It was a typical defensive game between the two schools in the opener.

Lowndes free throws made for a 29-29 game going into the fourth.

With two minutes left, the Vikings had a 38-33 lead. That advantage slipped away in a hurry.

At 1:31, Tift’s Cordell Nelson went to the free throw line, where he sank his first. He missed the second, but J.J. Lamar boxed out perfectly for an offensive rebound and score to make it 38-36.

On the other end, Ben Hill came up with a steal and fed Lamar to tie with it with 59 seconds left. Lowndes loss the ball during the inbounds, but got it back on a Wyatt Ferguson steal.

Isaiah Camon made a jumper with 33 seconds to go to put the Vikings back ahead, 40-38, but here came Lamar again with eight seconds on the clock to tie it up. Kaden Lawson blocked a Lowndes shot at the buzzer.

Camon began overtime with a three-pointer and Tift’s magic ran out there.

Lowndes was led by Jackson’s 20 points and Isaiah Camon and Ferguson each scored 8. Lamar had 29 big points for the Blue Devils with Nelson adding 7.