Putnam County dropped its first region game of the 2022-23 season last Tuesday to Westside (Augusta). However, the No. 6-ranked War Eagles bounced back from the 90-68 loss with wins over Washington County (70-57) and Greene County (86-53) to close out the week.
Putnam County was left 11-3 overall and 3-1 in Region 4-AA this season while defending state champion Westside remains ranked No. 1 overall in Class AA.
The Westside Patriots are led by seniors Khalon Hudson, Jalexs Ewing and AuMari Tillman returning. The trio combined for 63 of their team’s 90 points against the War Eagles. The Patriots also outscored Putnam County in three of four quarters.
Senior Eren Banks led the War Eagles in scoring with 29 points, followed by junior Landon Bonner with 20 points. Putnam County responded with a quality victory over Washington County on Friday.
The War Eagles struggled to get going in their second road game of the week but were able to run away with the contest late in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Hawks had three scorers in double-digits, but it wasn’t enough at the end of the night.
Bonner had the most productive game for Putnam County on Friday night. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound combo guard scored a game-high 31 points in the victory. Banks, a Georgia Southern signee, added 20 points, and senior Keyni Crawford contributed 11 points.
The War Eagles finished the week with a Saturday victory over rival Greene County. Their 27-point effort in the first quarter was the difference as the Tigers could never catch up. Putnam County suffocated Greene County with a full-court press and forced turnovers. The War Eagles capitalized off any Tigers’ mistakes and held a 47-30 lead at the half.
It was a team effort against Greene County to complete the season sweep. Crawford had 21 points, Bonner totaled 20 points, and Banks added 11 points. Senior Payton Ellison and sophomore Cameron Stephen also contributed 10 points each.
Putnam County entered this week with three games ahead of them. They were at home Tuesday against Thomson (9-1, 3-1 Region 4-AA); scheduled to play Glenn Hills (0-11, 0-4 Region 4-AA) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.; and again on the road for an 8:30 p.m. start at Jasper County (7-6) on Saturday night.
The recent wins left the War Eagles ranked second in Region 4A-AA standings behind Thomson, which currently is the No. 4-ranked team in Class AA overall. The War Eagles have eight more games this season – all region contests – after this week.