Putnam County defeated Chattooga 62-40 in the first round of the Class A Division I state playoffs to advance.
The No. 8 seed Lady War Eagles handled business early against the No. 25 Lady Indians, who never recovered. The win provided a much-needed confidence boost after Putnam County was upset by Lamar County in last week’s region championship game.
“The girls did a good job of bouncing back,” Putnam County head coach Derrick Arrington said. “Monday was rough—we were all down. But the team’s captains did a good job of picking the girls up and boosting morale and energy. We had a really good day on Tuesday and a really good performance tonight. I’m proud.”
The Lady War Eagles raced out to a 15-3 advantage in the first few minutes of the game and led Chattooga 27-10 at the end of the first quarter. They controlled the tempo with their fast-paced style of play, as their aggressive defense forced the Lady Indians into constant turnovers, leading to points on the other end.
Putnam County didn’t let its foot off the gas in the second quarter, building a 42-20 halftime lead. Junior Journey Waller and freshman Jaydah Baker controlled play at point guard and scored the majority of the points.
Arrington wasn’t surprised that Waller and Baker came out firing on all cylinders.
“There’s no other word for it—just wow,” he said. “They play so hard and defend so hard. It’s fun to watch.”
The team also received support from role players such as Eryianna Little, Melody Richardson, and Jaikarccie Smith. Arrington felt those players provided depth and proved to be just as valuable as Waller and Baker.
“They’re very important,” the Lady War Eagles head coach emphasized. “We love to go deep, so every minute counts, every practice time counts, and every girl matters. It’s very important to have that depth.”
Next, Putnam County (19-2) will host No. 9 Fannin County, the defending Class A Division I state champions, on Friday at 6 p.m. The Lady Rebels (25-3) are coming off a 60-55 win over No. 24 Pepperell in the first round.
Arrington hopes his team can keep the momentum going.
“Tonight we got back to our routine, focusing on the little things,” Arrington said. “Not to go back to the region championship, but we didn’t focus on the little things then. We made a big deal out of the big deal. Tonight, we just got back to routine and looked at the scoreboard when the game was over.”