Washington County ended Putnam County’s bounce-back season in the region tournament last Tuesday.
The Lady Golden Hawks came out on top during the first round of the Region 4-AA tournament, held at Josey High School in Augusta.
Washington won two of its three meetings with Putnam this year with the most recent being a 41-33 victory on Feb. 13.
A slow second quarter for the Lady War Eagles gave the Lady Hawks a 19-10 lead at the half. After one quarter, Washington held a 9-7 advantage but ramped up its defense in the next period. The Lady Hawks switched defensive schemes and started running a halfcourt press, which caused the Lady War Eagles trouble.
Washington held Putnam to three points in the second quarter while the offense tallied 10 more points to its total. The third quarter for the Lady War Eagles was a different story, though. They finally turned on the jets.
Finally, with a sense of urgency, Putnam made it a close game in the third quarter thanks to Journey Waller. The freshman and team’s leading scorer recorded a majority of the Lady War Eagles’ points in the period.
Waller and senior Kamyra Aikens’ effort on defense kept Putnam in the game. At the end of the third, the two teams were tied at 36-36 entering the final period. However, it just wasn’t meant to be for the Lady War Eagles.
Washington adjusted its defensive scheme, reverting to a half-court press. Putnam turned the ball over on two of three possessions to start the final quarter, leading to easy baskets on the other end for the Lady Hawks.
When Putnam finally scored on a basket from Aikens, Washington responded with a 6-0 run. The Lady War Eagles never gave up, though, as they trailed 37-33 with 1:48 left. But the Lady Hawks sunk their free throws.
Washington County’s Aeria Hagans was clutch down the stretch. She drained 8-of-10 free throws and put away the game with two trips to the line in the final minutes. Her effort made a key difference for the Lady Hawks.
As a team, Putnam struggled to get the line and couldn’t make its freebies while there. That’s been something the Lady War Eagles have struggled with all year. Per MaxPreps, they shot 49 percent from the line.
The Lady Hawks had three players in double figures – Hagans, Tamia Thomas, and Jade Kitchens. Each of them scored 10 points. Thomas and Kitchens hit timely shots, and Hagans shot well from the free-throw line.
The loss ended the season for Putnam, which finished at 17-9 in 202324. The Lady War Eagles had quite the turnaround in head coach Derrick Arrington’s first season at the helm. Last year, they finished at 6-16 overall.
Arrington couldn’t be reached for comment about the program’s significant ascendance. However, the future is bright for the Lady War Eagles, who only graduate a few seniors and return their leading scorer in Waller.
Next year, Putnam returns Melody Richardson, Jaikarccie Smith, A’ziyah Williams, and Kadyn Dennis as well.