The Putnam County girls’ basketball team (5-1) is off to one of its hottest starts in the last few years.
After losing their first game to Newton on Nov. 18, the Lady War Eagles have rattled off five straight wins, including defeats of rivals Greene County (55-30) and Morgan County (55-44) last week.
In the victory over Greene County, Putnam had three players reach double-digits in scoring, including senior Kamrya Aikens, who scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Freshman Journey Waller also had a productive stat line with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while senior Halana Griffin contributed 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Sophomore A’ziyah Williams had a team-high eight rebounds against Greene County.
The game was never in doubt after the first few minutes as Putnam County controlled the tempo. The Lady War Eagles led the Lady Tigers 24-14 at the end of the first half.
Aikens took advantage of Greene County’s defense by scoring 13 points through the first two periods. She knocked down 3-of-4 triples in the first half and shot 50 percent at the end of the game.
Putnam County’s defense limited Greene County to four points in the first quarter. The Lady Tigers also turned the ball over several times, leading to points on the other end for the Lady War Eagles.
Greene County also struggled to score in the third quarter, scoring only three points in eight minutes. Putnam County forced more turnovers and Williams was dominant on the glass in the period.
The Lady War Eagles didn’t slow the pace in the third quarter, either. They got solid play from Aikens and Griffin, who combined for 14 of Putnam County’s 18 points in the fourth quarter.
As a team, Putnam County ended up with a season-high 18 steals and also had eight blocks.
The Lady War Eagles had another solid performance Saturday night against Morgan County (4-4). A 22-point second-quarter performance propelled them to lead the Lady Dogs 38-19 at the half.
While Putnam County didn’t play soundly in the second half, the Lady War Eagles did enough to hold off a fighting Morgan County. The Lady Dogs outscored Putnam 25-17 in the final half.
Waller led Putnam County with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals in the win over Morgan County. Aikens totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals as well. Sophomore Kadyn Dennis contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
This week, Putnam County begins Region 4-AA play Tuesday with Laney at home. The Lady War Eagles will then continue region play against Butler on Friday in Augusta before traveling to non-region rival Jasper County on Saturday. All three tip-offs this week are set for 6 p.m.