The Putnam County girls’ basketball team enters the final week of the regular season on a two-game losing streak.
The Lady War Eagles fell 52-43 to Washington County and 57-45 to Class AA’s No. 3-ranked Thomson last week.
Washington County gained revenge for an earlier season loss to Putnam County on Jan. 30. The Lady War Eagles outscored the Lady Golden Hawks 20-17 in the fourth quarter last Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough.
Washington County’s pairing of junior Makayla Dunn and freshman Jade Kitchens combined for 33 points in the victory.
They also combined for 12 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals against Putnam last week.
Dunn’s five 3-pointers made a big difference in the game. She shot 50 percent from the 3-point line. The Lady Golden Hawks played stout defense, holding their opponent to under 10 points in three of the four periods.
Washington’s defensive strategy of attacking with pressure forced Putnam County to repeatedly turn the ball over and significantly limited the Lady War Eagles’ leading scorers, Journey Waller and Kamyra Aikens.
Putnam County played better against a top-ranked Thomson team but still came up short, 57-45, last Saturday at home. The Lady Bulldogs controlled the tempo on both ends and limited the Lady War Eagles’ offensive attack.
Putnam County also didn’t have an answer defensively for Thomson’s leading scorer, Jada Kendrick, who scored 20 points. She shot 57 percent from the field, with seven rebounds, one assist, and four steals in the win.
It helped that the Lady Bulldogs crashed the boards, with three players having double-digit rebounds, as well.
Sophomore Jazzlyn Crenshaw posted a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow sophomore Dalysa Gilmore added seven points and 11 rebounds. Junior Ty’Leishiah Latimore had six points and 10 boards.
Thomson’s quartet of players made it hard for Putnam County to get within striking distance.
The Lady War Eagles’ offensive effort was stymied by the Lady Bulldogs’ high-powered defensive attack inside the paint. Putnam County is now 16-7 overall and 6-6 in Region 4-AA play entering the final week of the regular season.
The Lady War Eagles have two games left, visiting Glenn Hills on Tuesday (past print time) and hosting No. 2 Josey at 6 p.m. this Friday. Putnam entered the week at No.
4 in the region standings behind Josey, No. 6 Butler, and No. 2 Thomson.
If Putnam County can split these two games, it might host a region tournament game next Tuesday at home. However, the Lady War Eagles may have to compete in a play-in game for seeds five through eight on Monday if Washington County wins out. The Lady Golden Hawks have the tiebreaker over Putnam County.