The Putnam County girls’ basketball team (8-3) has been on both ends of several close games so far this year.
So far this season, the No. 9 Lady War Eagles of Class A Division I are 3-2 in games decided by five points or less. Entering this week, that margin has decided their last four contests, and they’re right at 2-2.
After a 6-1 start, Putnam County dropped two straight losses to Laney (57-54) and Dodge County (48-45). However, the Lady War Eagles responded with consecutive wins over Laney (59-57) and Morgan County (45-43).
Putnam girls’ basketball head coach Derrick Arrington has seen his team grow tremendously through its last few games.
“Those are really good programs, Laney, Dodge County, and Morgan County,” Arrington said. “They’re really well-coached teams. It’s supposed to be a dogfight when you’re playing a good team. [We’ve just been] focusing on the little things: playing good defense, communicating, and learning how to win.”
Arrington said the key to his team’s recent success has been a lot of mental training and watching game film.
“It’s just a lot of work. A lot goes into it,” Arrington said. “Just the social aspect as well. [The girls] come to the gym at 3:30 every day. They’re on time. We then lock into a different mode. We’re showing a lot of growth.”
The team has relied on sophomore Journey Waller and juniors Jaikarccie Smith and Kadyn Dennis to step up this season. Waller, Smith, and Dennis are the team’s top-three scorers but also contribute defensively.
Arrington likes to see his team perform well on the defensive end. He stresses to his girls the importance of it. Defense is his team’s identity, and he wants it to remain that way for the rest of the year.
“Defensively, we’re going to get after you,” the second-year coach said. “We’re going to make you play the full length of the floor. We’re going to make you play the whole game on your toes. [We have a] defensive identity [but] we’re still piecing things together, though It’s a lot [about] communication and playing together.”
Defense has helped the Lady War Eagles stay in games and even win a few by close margins.
This week, Putnam County will face rival Jasper County on Saturday. It will be the Lady War Eagles’ last game of the year. They’ll face Jones County on Jan. 4 before continuing their region schedule three days later.