The Putnam County boys basketball team closed out its regular season on a high note Feb. 4, defeating Social Circle 74-54 in a region matchup.
The War Eagles enter the region tournament later this week with a 19-6 overall record and an 8-1 mark in region play.
Head coach Patrick Marshall believes his team’s season-long ups and downs may be its greatest asset heading into postseason play. While consistency has been a challenge, he said his players' experiences along the way have prepared them well and given them confidence for the tournament.
“That confidence comes from a challenging non-region schedule that tested us in tight, high-pressure games,” Marshall said. “We’ve been on the winning side of some good games, but also on the losing side of some. Going into a game now, we always feel like we’ve got a shot.”
Leading the way are seniors and multi-year starters Jmari Greene and Tamaud Woodson, a pair of guards who have been the driving force behind Putnam County’s success. They are joined by senior forward Shamar McClendon, with junior guards Jaylen Nelson and Jeremy Banks rounding out a strong, experienced core.
“They’ve been the most consistent guys for us,” Marshall said of Greene and Woodson. “They do a lot for us beyond just scoring.”
Nelson, in particular, has emerged as a key contributor as the War Eagles head into the postseason.
“Midway through the season, I told Jaylen to take on more of a point guard role and focus on distributing the ball for us,” Marshall said. “He’s a supreme scorer, but he embraced that role and has really surged. He’s probably been the most consistent of the guys, and he does what we’ve asked of him.”
As Putnam County prepares for the region tournament, Marshall acknowledged that familiarity with opponents will be important. But rather than worry about facing teams twice, he said he treats each matchup as a fresh start.
“I always try to look at them as brand-new games,” Marshall said. “We take what we did the last time, but we anticipate they’re going to change things up, and we’re going to change our stuff up, too.”
Marshall believes the team’s adaptability, combined with postseason experience, could give Putnam County an edge when it matters most. Several of his players have been in similar high-stakes situations before.
“We can always go back to experience,” he said. “I think our experience can help us in those situations and maybe push us over the top so we can get the win and keep playing.”
With a seasoned roster, lessons learned from a challenging schedule, and confidence in its ability to adjust on the fly, Putnam County enters the postseason ready to make a run in the region tournament.
The War Eagles will enter the region tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Greenforest. They’ve got a bye in the first round and will face either No. 7 WD Muhammed or No. 10 Utopian Academy on Thursday at Lamar County. The winner will advance to the semifinals, which will be held Feb. 19 at PCHS in Eatonton.