The Putnam County boys’ basketball team started its 2022-23 season on a high note last week with two wins over Northside (Columbus) and Hancock Central.
First, the War Eagles traveled to McDonough to defeat the Northside Patriots 68-61 at Union Grove High School on a neutral court.
“I was extremely proud of my guys for beating Northside,” Putnam County head coach LaPatrick Marshall said. “Our second-leading scorer from last year, Keyni Crawford, didn’t play. He hurt his ankle in the Baldwin (scrimmage), so we were going against a Class 4A school without one of our top players. I was kind of leery about that, especially because we are so young. I know we’re ranked but we don’t have a lot of experience. I’ve got four sophomores, two guys who have never played for us. Plus, a junior that has never really gotten quality minutes at the varsity level.”
The War Eagles trailed Northside 18-14 at the end of the first quarter. However, they outscored the Patriots by 16 points in the second period and led 34-22 at the half.
Northside did outscore Putnam County again in the third quarter, but the War Eagles still led 47-42 heading to the fourth. The Patriots then took a quick lead to start the final period, but it didn’t last long as the War Eagles went on a spurt of their own after Northside’s 6-0 run. The double-barreled attack of Landon Bonner and Eren Banks proved to be too much for the Patriots to handle down the stretch.
“For us to grit that game out, man. That was big,” Marshall said. “Landon [Bonner] came out and led us in scoring. Then, down the stretch, we went to our money man, Eren [Banks]. He made some great decisions against their zone and finished at the basket.”
Bonner had a team-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Banks was the only other Putnam County player with double digits in scoring as he finished with 18 points. Stephens scored only three points but dished out a team-high nine assists. The coach also credited sophomore Cam Stephens for stepping up.
The War Eagles, ranked sixth in Class AA, then faced Hancock Central, the 10th-ranked team in Class A Division II, on Saturday at home. Putnam County defeated Hancock Central 63-62 in an overtime thriller at the Eagles Nest.
“I knew it was going to be a tough game,” Marshall said. “Hancock has a tradition of playing for championships. Their brothers and uncles have played for titles, so we knew it was going to be tough, but also because it’s a rivalry game. Again, Landon [Bonner] came out on fire. He can play and score us some buckets when we need them.”
The War Eagles had a high-scoring first half and led 37-24 at the break. However, the Bulldogs were able to fight their way back into the game in the second half and take a lead.
Hancock Central led by two points with 8.2 seconds left in regulation play, but Bonner drove the ball inside the lane for the game-tying shot with just a few ticks left on the clock.
Putnam County trailed 62-61 in the closing seconds of overtime, but Banks was able to hit the game-winning layup on a dribble drive to put the War Eagles back on top.
“One thing that was so special about the Hancock [Central] game was Kaleb Crawford’s steal at the end of the game to secure the win,” Marshall said. “He was in a car accident this summer and almost lost his life. He didn’t get to play football because of the injury. That was big, man. For that kid to go through what he went through and to get that steal to close that game out against Hancock, that’s a big deal.”
Bonner totaled 28 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Banks put in 18 points, four boards and five assists, while Keyni Crawford had nine points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals in his return to the court on Saturday.
Putnam County will face rival Greene County on Friday at home with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The War Eagles will hit the court again on Saturday at Hancock Central at 7:30 p.m.
“That’s exactly what I like about being in this area. There’s a basketball pedigree all around here,” Marshall said. “These teams aren’t going to care what we’re ranked. I tell my kids that all the time. We better bring our A-game every day. Now, that we’ve got a top ranking, we’ve got a bullseye on our back. Our opponents are going to try and knock us off. If we don’t bring our A-game, we can get beat.”