Putnam is heading to the region final after Crawford's clutch performance
Putnam County senior Keyni Crawford scored a team-high 19 points, leading the War Eagles to a 52-41 victory over Butler in the Region 4-AA tournament semifinals.
In the Class AA top 10 clash, Crawford stepped up when leading scorer, Eren Banks, got into foul trouble early on. He was one of the main reasons the No. 6 War Eagles never trailed the No. 8 Bulldogs.
“Tonight, that guy Keyni (Crawford) came out and played big-time basketball,” Putnam County head coach LaPatrick Marshall said. “With Eren (Banks) being in foul trouble, we needed somebody to go to. He was able to get the job done and play some valuable minutes.”
Crawford scored most of his points in the first half as the War Eagles jumped on Butler early. He helped control the offensive tempo on the floor and played a stingy game defensively, too.
“Keyni carried us when Eren was in foul trouble," Patrick said. “He had a big night for us on both ends of the court. Proud of his effort."
Despite it being a low-scoring affair, Putnam County jumped out and hit Butler in the mouth first.
At the end of the first quarter, Putnam County led 12-4 after a 7-0 run in the final three minutes. Crawford totaled four points in the period, including a buzzer-beating layup.
The War Eagles came out strong in the second, building up an 18-6 lead before the Bulldogs scored again. Landon Bonner scored three of his nine total points to start the period, but after, Butler decided to make a quick run to cut into the deficit.
A few minutes, Crawford was called for a technical foul, giving the Bulldogs two free shots, but would respond. He did so by scoring four straight points, sparking another run by Putnam County, which was capped off by senior Detravius Smith adding two baskets to take a 26-10 lead.
The War Eagles’ effort in the second quarter helped in the long run, as the second half was a defensive battle. Putnam County held a 31-15 lead over Butler going into the break.
“That was our plan. We were going to try and lock back into what we were doing at the start of the year, which was playing great defense and letting our offense vibe off that,” Marshall said. “We came out and played great defensively and were able to hold on to get that win.”
Putnam County's win did not come easy, though. The Bulldogs took advantage of Banks getting subbed out in the first minute of the third quarter due to foul trouble. They cut the War Eagles' lead to single digits a few minutes later and got within striking distance.
Butler guard Roosevelt Brown buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key with just under five minutes left, making it a six-point game; however, Crawford nailed a triple on the other end. Toward the end of the quarter, every time the Bulldogs threw a punch, Crawford would counter it with a return blow of his own.
A few minutes later, the 6-foot-4 guard buried another 3-pointer to give Putnam County an 11-point lead with 1:01 left in the third quarter. The War Eagles led 42-30 going into the fourth, with all the momentum following Crawford's triple the minute before.
Putnam County slowed down the pace in the final period. The War Eagles also locked in defensively on Brown, who scored most of the Bulldogs’ points.
Sophomore Cameron Stephens and junior Kaleb Crawford, two of Putnam County's role players, also picked up the slack defensively when Banks was not on the floor.
“Our second unit has been going at our first team all week,” Marshall said. “So, I knew that both of them were going to make an impact. Those two guys have been going hard for us. I am not afraid to put them into the game (at any point) because they practice hard.”
Following Crawford’s 19 points, Banks scored 14 points and Bonner finished with nine points, respectively.
Putnam County (22-5) is set to face Class AA’s No. 1 Westside (19-7) in the region final on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Westside. The War Eagles and Patriots split the regular season series, with Putnam County winning the last meeting 65-68 on Friday, Jan. 27.
Editor's Note: For updates on Putnam County's region championship game against Westside, follow @GaLakeSports on Twitter and Facebook. Also, check back this morning for an article on the title game between the War Eagles and Patriots.