The No. 6 seed Putnam County boys basketball team (23-7) showed no signs of slowing down, cruising past No. 11 Dublin in the second round of the GHSA Class A Division I state playoffs on Feb. 28.
The War Eagles dominated the Fighting Irish (9-22), advancing to the Elite Eight with a 79-50 win.
Putnam County head coach Patrick Marshall said his team played well from start to finish, emphasizing the importance of not looking past any opponent and taking the postseason “one game at a time.”
“Any playoff win is a big win,” Marshall said. “We just take it one game at a time. The guys played hard and played well. I’m proud of our effort.”
Dublin came out firing in the opening minutes, trading blows with the War Eagles throughout the first quarter. Putnam held a slim 12–10 edge at the end of the period.
The War Eagles opened the second quarter with a statement, going on a 9–0 run and outscoring Dublin 21–13 in the period to build a 33–23 halftime lead.
Putnam leaned on senior Tamaud Woodson, who scored eight points in the first quarter and added 10 more in the second, providing the offensive spark the War Eagles needed.
Marshall wasn’t surprised by Woodson’s performance, noting he scored 32 points in the first-round win over BEST Academy.
“Tamaud—he’s been on fire,” Marshall said. “He had 32 last game, he had 26 tonight, so he’s playing well.”
Senior guard Jmari Greene scored just four points in the first half but picked up the slack over the final 16 minutes, taking control in the second half with 19 points for a total of 23 in the lopsided win.
Marshall praised Greene’s response to his halftime criticism and noted that the team plays to its full potential when Greene and Woodson lead the way.
“I went in at halftime and got on Jmari Greene,” Marshall said. “He wasn’t playing like he’s capable of. He’s a two-time Region Player of the Year, but he came out in the second half and responded. (Jmari and Tamaud) are best friends, but all the guys played well, but those two in particular really came out.”
Junior guards Jaylen Nelson and Jeremy Banks contributed 10 and eight points, respectively, while senior forward Shamar McClendon, who recently grabbed his 500th career rebound, added six points in the win.
Marshall said he believes his team is peaking at the right time, but wants his players to perform consistently.
“Even though we were winning, I want to play our brand of basketball all the time,” he said. “I don’t want to have emotional highs and lows. We want to come out and just be consistent. For the most part, we were, but going down the road in the playoffs, we’ve got to be consistent all the time.”
Putnam County will next face No. 3 seed Fitzgerald on the road in the Elite Eight on March 4. The Purple Hurricane (24-4) is coming off a 69-60 win over No. 14 Dodge County. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.