Putnam County’s boys basketball team came up just short of a region championship last week, falling 56–53 to Greenforest in the Region 4-A Division I title game.
While the loss stung, head coach Patrick Marshall said the performance was another clear sign of how far his team has come. Earlier this season, the Eagles defeated the War Eagles 69–52, making the three-point margin in the championship game a reflection of steady growth.
“I’m extremely proud of how my guys played,” Marshall said. “Coming into a situation where most people probably counted us out, we went in believing we could compete. I tell them every day — we’re pretty good, too.”
Greenforest led 33-26 at the half, thanks to a strong shooting performance from the trio of Kyree Taylor, Agei Agelet, and Golbet Cesar Mbai. The trio combined for 27 of the Eagles’ 56 points in the victory over Putnam.
Greenforest controlled the tempo of the game and headed into the fourth quarter with a 44-36 lead. The War Eagles outscored the Eagles 17-12 in the final period, but came up just short in the end, losing by three.
Junior Jaylen Nelson led Putnam County with 17 points, while senior Tamaud Woodson added 15 in the narrow defeat. Their efforts helped keep the War Eagles within striking distance against one of the state’s top programs.
Marshall credited the team’s recent surge to improved focus and consistency, particularly in practice.
“We’ve probably had some of the most competitive and best practices of the season over the last couple of weeks, and it showed,” he said. “We’ve been running new sets, new defenses, guys are communicating — it’s been working for us.”
Despite falling short of a region title for the second straight year, Marshall emphasized that the championship game was only one step toward a bigger goal.
“A region championship would’ve been big, but it’s just a stop on the way to where we want to go,” he said. “We want to play 32 games. We didn’t want to put too much on one night.”
To reach the region title game, Putnam defeated WD Mohammed 94-58 on Feb. 12, followed by a 76-64 win over Southwest Atlanta Christian in the semifinals. Senior Jmari Greene scored 29 points in the semifinal win, followed by Woodson with 18 points, and Nelson, who added 13.
With postseason play ahead, the War Eagles have shifted their focus. Over the weekend, they earned the No. 6 overall seed in the Class A Division I bracket and were set to host No. 27 BEST Academy on Wednesday, past press time. A win would advance them to a home matchup on Feb. 28 against the winner of No. 11 Dublin and No. 22 Jasper County — a team the War Eagles have already beaten twice this season.
“We don’t even care about who’s in the bracket,” Marshall said. “We’re ready to play whoever’s next.”