Putnam County’s impressive start to the 2024-25 basketball season continued last week with three more wins.
The War Eagles swept Hancock Central (85-71; 70-54) and topped Greene County (95-55). They entered this week with an 8-0 record on the year and are ranked No. 2 overall in Class A Division I.
Putnam head coach LaPatrick Marshall is exceptionally proud of his players but wants them to stay humble. He said he needs his guys to pay attention to details and preaches to them about doing all the little things right.
“I harp on all the little stuff all the time,” Marshall said. “Like, I tell them that we’re doing good, but the main stuff that we’re supposed to be doing, even if we weren’t having so much success, is keeping the locker room clean and being on time. I always harp on that small type of stuff.”
The War Eagles started the season unranked but have ascended quickly to No. 2 in the state in their classification, but Marshall wants his players not to buy into the hype.
“Even though everybody is telling them how great they are, I always try to keep them humble,” he said.
On Nov. 23, against Hancock Central, Putnam had five players score double digits, highlighted by Jmari Greene’s 28 points. Shamar McClendon also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
A few days later, the War Eagles dominated Greene County, which defeated them in a preseason scrimmage on a last-second shot. Tamaud Woodson was among five players to reach double figures that night. He had a team-high 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and five steals against the Tigers.
Over the weekend, Putnam completed the sweep of Hancock Central. The War Eagles led the Bulldogs 50-45 heading into the fourth quarter, but a 20-point effort in the game’s final eight minutes secured the win. Greene scored a team-high 26 points, and Jaylin Harper added 14 points.
Putnam’s stock keeps rising as the team keeps stacking wins. The team has a mantra to keep it on edge.
“One of the things we always say is, ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ So, you’ve got to keep working hard every single day,” Marshall said. “If you come out with all the talent that I think we have and we don’t work hard, somebody will outwork you, man. And that’s what’s going to beat you. But when a talented team continues to work hard, it will be hard to beat them.”
Marshall and the War Eagles hope to continue their success in four more games before the end of this year. When they return in early January, their region schedule will start to heat up.