Tamaud Woodson proved to be the difference as Putnam County opened the Class A Division I state playoffs with a convincing win Wednesday night.
The senior scored a game-high 32 points to lead the No. 6 seed War Eagles to a 75-50 victory over No. 27 seed BEST Academy, showcasing his scoring ability from start to finish as Putnam County pulled away early and never looked back.
“It’s pretty amazing what Tamaud has showcased in his first full season as a starter,” Putnam County head coach Patrick Marshall said. “And man, tonight, he was on. He’s come so far as a player in the last four years.”
Both teams traded early blows, with the War Eagles holding a 12-5 advantage with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter. But the momentum soon shifted. Sparked by a strong first quarter from Woodson, who scored 18 points, Putnam County began to pull ahead and took control of the game, leading 26-18 at the end of the quarter.
Fellow guards Jaylen Nelson and Jmari Greene were equally effective, applying constant defensive pressure to force turnovers and quickly turning those stops into easy scoring opportunities for Woodson, keeping BEST Academy on its heels. The War Eagles extended their lead to 45-26 by halftime.
“When these boys start playing like that, man, it’s hard to stop them,” Marshall said. “That’s why I feel so confident about what we can do. They’ve been practicing well together, and when Jaylen gets the ball, he’s able to make those long-court passes to Tamaud. He’s out there looking like Michael Vick, and then Jmari is on the run in transition. Man, they put on a show tonight. They took the coaching and went out and executed.”
Putnam County never let up in the second half, coasting to a 25-point victory. Nelson and Greene each scored 13 points, while senior forward Shamar McClendon contributed nine points in the post.
Marshall has wanted to see his team play a full 32-minute game all season — and he got it on Wednesday.
“That was my main thing coming in: losing last year and playing this tough schedule, man, I wanted to prepare us for this,” Marshall said. “I’m not going to shy away from it — I think we’re built to make a deep run in the playoffs. I think we can win it all, but we’re taking it game by game. The ultimate goal is to get to Macon, and we’ve got to do it one game at a time. But I believe we’ve got a shot.”
The War Eagles (21-7) will face No. 11 Dublin (9-21) in the second round at home on Saturday. The Fighting Irish are coming off a 63-57 victory over No. 22 Jasper County in the first round. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.