Putnam County boys’ basketball is having one of its best seasons in program history. The War Eagles are 16-3 overall and 7-1 in Region 4-AA play heading into the week, one of the most important of the season as they are riding a seven-game winning streak.
Putnam County defeated Josey 89-56 on Tuesday and Laney 69-51 on Friday to cap off last week’s action.
“We played great ball in both games,” War Eagles head coach LaPatrick Marshall said. “Josey came out hard (in the first half), but we responded as a good team should.”
Senior Eren Banks led the Putnam County assault with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Banks also registered seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the win.
War Eagles’ sophomore Jaylin Harper also scored a season-high 19 points, followed by junior Landon Bonner, who added 14 points, along with six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
The War Eagles then faced a tough Laney squad.
“Laney always poses a threat because they have so much tradition. They always play us tough, but especially in the first quarter,” Marshall said. “They played a tough zone, but we were able to hit some shots and run our offense to perfection in order to win.”
Putnam County and the Wildcats were tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter; however, the War Eagles outscored Laney 22-6 in the second period to lead 36-20 at the break.
Banks led again in scoring, but this time totaled 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting (55 percent). Bonner registered 14 points and six rebounds while Keyni Crawford added another dozen.
Putnam County has two huge region matchups this week against a pair of teams it already faced this season, with Butler on the road and Westside (Augusta) at home.
Putnam County downed Butler 65-60 last month, but Westside defeated the War Eagles 90-68 on Jan. 3.
Marshall said he feels ready for the challenge of his team facing both Butler and Westside, which faced off in the Class 2A state championship game last season in Macon.
“The first thing we’re going to do is make sure we’re ready for Butler, man,” the coach said. “We have never beaten Butler at their place (while I’ve been here), so it’s going to be a huge game. They played a tough schedule at the start of the season, which prepared them for the region. They also beat Thomson a few weeks ago, so they’re going to be ready.
He then added, “Westside is Westside, man. On Friday, we’re going to have the No. 1 team coming here to face the No. 5 team in (class) AA. Both of these games are going to be huge for us.”
The War Eagles, who entered the week first in the Region 4A-AA standings, have a lot to play for. However, Marshall doesn’t want to put pressure on his players because he wants them to play their game.
“I’m just preaching to our kids to continue to have fun, do what we’re supposed to do and let the chips fall where they may,” Marshall said. “I’m not stressing so hard about must-win games because I don’t want to put that much pressure on those kids. I just want them to play regular ball, man. That’s what it’s all about. If we do that, I am confident in our team.”