The Putnam County basketball teams swept the Utopian Academy of the Arts last Friday at home.
The Lady War Eagles (12-6) opened up the night of competition with an easy 57-10 victory. The War Eagles (19-1) followed that impressive performance in the nightcap with a dominant 100-43 win.
Putnam County’s girls shook off the rust with a dominant defensive performance after losing to a tough Greenforest squad. The Lady War Eagles hadn’t played in a week but didn’t skip a beat on Jan. 25.
The Putnam County girls led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and held a commanding 33-1 advantage at the half. The Lady War Eagles also outscored their opponent 24-9 in the second half.
Putnam County’s girls played tight defense, which is their specialty. The Lady War Eagles held UAA to a 0 percent shooting percentage in the first half, with its only point coming from a free throw.
A’ziyah Williams, Journey Waller, Eriyana Little, Melody Richardson, and Jaikarccie Smith performed well on each end of the court against UAA, resulting in the team’s dominant 47-point win.
This week, the Putnam County girls will face two region tests in Lamar County (15-4) and Jasper County (10-8). The Lady War Eagles aren’t currently ranked in Class A Division I but are tied for first in the region.
In the final night of the game, the Putnam County boys also shook off the rust with a solid team win. The War Eagles had previously lost their first game of 2024-25 to Greenforest on Jan. 18 at home.
Against UAA, Putnam County’s boys raced to a 31-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. The War Eagles outscored their opponent 28-14 in the second period, giving them a 59-28 lead at the break.
UAA couldn’t stop Putnam County’s boys from scoring. It didn’t get better in the second half, either.
The War Eagles added 41 more points to reach the century mark while limiting UAA to only score 15.
Putnam County’s boys dominated all facets of the game, including rebounding, shooting, and free throws. The War Eagles also had five players – J’mari Greene (17), Jaylin Harper (15), Jeremy Banks (14), Zay Hargrove (12), and Shamar McClendon (11) - score in the double digits against UAA.
The Putnam County boys remained ranked No. 1 in Class A Division I and in first place in the region standings. This week, the War Eagles will face Lamar County (7-12) and Jasper County (9-10).