Greenforest shot nearly 50 percent and dominated the interior, out-rebounding Putnam County by 24 boards to end the War Eagles’ perfect 18-0 streak with a 66-53 win last Friday.
Putnam County head coach Patrick Marshall isn’t into moral victories, but he was proud of his team’s performance against Greenforest, the defending Class A Division II state champs. Marshall said he liked his players’ efforts, and lessons were learned.
“I was extremely proud of how we competed by playing against a team of the caliber of Greenforest,” Marshall said. “It’s like we didn’t back down from the challenge, and that’s what we’ve been preaching all year. Regardless of the record, we needed to play our brand of basketball, and for the most part, we did. We must fix the little things like boxing out, playing gap defense, and helping out. Taking that loss really helped us.”
Putnam held a brief 6-0 lead after two quick 3-pointers in the opening minutes, but it didn’t take long for Greenforest to respond. The No. 6-ranked Eagles led 20-11 after the first quarter, ending it with a 13-3 run.
Greenforest’s size advantage showed up in the first quarter, too, as senior Orion Wilson dominated inside the paint. The War Eagles had no answer for the 6-foot-10 power forward, who continuously grabbed offensive boards.
Greenforest also received excellent play in the post from senior Daniel Daramola, a 6-foot-9 power forward. The two big men were pivotal in helping the Eagles lead 34-23 at the half, but Putnam did not give up.
Juniors Jmari Greene and Tamaud Woodson kept the War Eagles afloat with several key baskets in the first half.
Greenforest’s dominant play in the post continued into the second half. The Eagles built up a 17-point advantage entering the fourth quarter after Wilson scored 11 in the third, along with a few rebounds to help extend the lead.
Although Putnam outscored Greenforest in the final quarter, the damage had already been done. The Eagles coasted to their ninth victory of the season and led by double digits for every second of the final period.
Wilson scored game-highs in points (24) and rebounds (26), followed by Daramola with another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) for Greenforest. For the War Eagles, Woodson scored 12, and Greene added 11 points.
After the loss, Patrick said Greenforest was one of the most talented teams he’s ever coached against.
“That’s the biggest team I’ve faced in my 15 years of coaching. You know what I’m saying? It’s hard when you face 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9 guys, and you’re getting out-rebounded by what, 20-something?” Marshall said. “So, that was a big plus for them, but the good thing we can take from it is that we only lost by 13 with that big disparity in rebounds. But we didn’t cave. We stuck in there and fought all the way until the end.”
Despite the loss, Putnam County remained No. 1 in the Class A Division I rankings, and its team goal remained within reach.
“My biggest thing we’ve been preaching all year is to take it one game at a time,” Marshall said. “I know we were undefeated going into that game, but a lot of this year has been about why we do not want to go out and let one loss or win dictate what we do that next game.”
Putnam resumes regional play with two road games at WD Mohammed and UAA in Atlanta this week.