Putnam County boys’ basketball hasn’t faced much adversity this year but answered the bell Saturday against Jasper County.
The Hurricanes (3-5) weren’t scared of the War Eagles (13-0), Class A Division I’s No. 1-ranked team.
Jasper County came out swinging from the opening tip-off, especially on offense, to lead 19-15 at the end of the first quarter. Putnam County started slow, and the ‘Canes took advantage by holding a one-point lead at the half.
The War Eagles adjusted at the intermission and responded strongly in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Putnam County’s boys outscored Jasper County 24-8 in the third quarter, taking a 15-point lead into the fourth. Their effort in the third quarter against the Canes was good enough for them to capture the 67-51 win.
Putnam County head coach Patrick Marshall was proud of how his team grinded out a win against a rival.
“That [win] was big for us. [Japser] came out and played good and off energy,” Marshall told The Eatonton Messenger after the victory. “We played a little flat. We went down at the half for the first time this year. That was new to us, but I like how we answered. We came out in the third quarter and held them to eight points. Seeing us face some adversity and answer the bell like that was big. I think the team is continuing to grow.”
Patrick’s message at the half was simple: be the hunters, not the hunted.
“We’re coming in as the No. 1 team, and everybody wants to be us,” he said. “We’re being hunted by everybody, and I wanted to let them know that we’ve still got to beat on the hunt. We can’t let everybody put the bull’s eye on our back. We’ve got to fight back. Even though we’re the No. 1 team, we’re young and don’t understand that we’ve got to bring our A-game every night, every quarter. Sometimes we don’t do that.”
The message was well-received.
In the third quarter, Putnam County’s defense completely shut down Jasper County. The War Eagles ramped up their press, making it hard for the Canes to get the ball up the floor. Their shots also started to fall.
Putnam County’s core of Tamaud Woodson, Jmari Greene, Shamar McClendon, and Jeremy Banks excelled. The four War Eagles combined to score 53 of their 67 points in Saturday’s road win over Jasper County.
Woodson scored 18 points, Greene added 15, and McClendon contributed 11. Banks had nine in the region win.
Putnam County wrapped up its first part of the 2024-25 regular season with a 13-0 record. The War Eagles will next face Jones County on Jan. 4 before continuing Region 4-Class A DI play against Towers on Dec. 7.
Marshall wants his team to keep fighting and not get complacent.
“We’ve got to play hard all the time,” Marshall said. “We’re still a work in progress, but I like where we are.”