In a highly competitive matchup between a pair of top teams in Class A Division I, No. 2 Commerce used a strong second-half effort to beat No. 1 Putnam County 83-60 at the SandySpiel Shootout Jan. 10.
The Tigers trailed 39-31 at the break but outscored the War Eagles 52-21 in the second half to secure the win.
Putnam head coach Patrick Marshall said he believed his team played well in the first half, but he felt things fell apart in the last two quarters.
“I think we lost our composure in the second half. I’ll take the blame for that,” Marshall said. “Sometimes your players imitate the coach, whether it’s good or bad, so I think we all just lost our composure.
“When you’re playing a good team, you can’t do that. We have to maintain our mental toughness all the way through until the end. We had the game going our way, and it wasn’t like (Commerce) didn’t do anything that we weren’t prepared for, but I think we got away from our game plan, and you saw what the results were.”
The War Eagles came out firing on all cylinders, playing their brand of fast and loose basketball.
After falling behind 4-0 early, senior guard Jmari Greene got Putnam on the board with a three-point play the old-fashioned way. The War Eagles ended the first quarter on an 18-9 run, with all five starters scoring.
Senior Tamaud Woodson and junior Jaylen Nelson combined for 14 of Putnam’s 21 points in the first period.
Commerce cut the War Eagles’ lead to 26-21 at the 4:50 mark of the second, but a quick 5-0 spurt pushed Putnam’s lead back to double digits. They continued to play well down the stretch, leading the Tigers by eight at the half.
Woodson and Nelson each had a quiet second quarter but led in scoring with nine entering the second half.
Putnam’s lead started dwindling away as soon as the third began, with Commerce going on a 10-2 run. The Tigers received a spark from junior guard Bryson Parks, who helped them take the lead at the 2:14 mark.
Greene responded with a 3-pointer on the next possession, giving the War Eagles a brief 45-44 advantage before Commerce ended the third quarter on a 6-0 run. The Tigers led Putnam 50-44 entering the final period.
The War Eagles trailed by 10 with 6:01 left, but a quick 5-0 run made it close again, as Greene and senior forward Zay Hargrove connected on shots. However, that’s as close as Putnam got.
Parks couldn’t be stopped, as he scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half. The Tigers had three other players reach double digits. Woodson was one of four War Eagles who scored double digits, as he totaled 17 in the loss.
Marshall felt like his team got out of rhythm in the second half.
“When we play our brand of basketball, we’re going to be tough to beat. The key is being consistent with it, and that’s one thing I’ve been preaching,” Marshall said. “We can’t rely on the highs and lows. I’d rather come out consistently good.
“So, even though we played well in the first half, we only scored five points in the third quarter, and with the firepower we have on this team, that’s unheard of; we need to be consistent every night.”
The loss dropped Putnam to 12-5 on the season after opening up region play with two wins earlier in the week. The War Eagles picked up road victories over Towers (96-73) and McNair (87-44) before facing the Tigers.
Putnam continued region play this week against Southwest Atlanta Christian on Tuesday, past press time. The War Eagles will face Greenforest, a top-10 team in the Class 3A-A Division I private poll, this Friday in Decatur.