Putnam County ended its regular season on a high note last week with two region wins. The No. 6-ranked War Eagles (20-5, 11-3 Region 4-AAA) closed with a pair of tune-up games against Glenn Hills (77-41) and Josey (95-43) before the start of the Region 4-AA tournament.
Putnam County enters as the tourney’s No. 2 overall seed, with a first-round bye, automatically punching the War Eagles a ticket to the Class AA state playoffs.
Now, Putnam County is playing for seeding and will be challenged to come out as region champions. The War Eagles are one of four teams from Region 4-AA ranked in the Class AA Top 10, with the others being Westside (Augusta), Butler and Thomson.
“Our region has been so strong [this season],” Putnam County head coach LaPatrick Marshall said. “Everybody feels confident [that they can win the region tournament] this year.”
Putnam County enters the Region 4-AA tournament going 1-1 against Westside (Augusta), Butler and Thomson during the 2022-23 regular season. The War Eagles are also bound to meet one of these programs again in either the semifinals or finals this week.
“I don’t think we’ll face too much [tougher] competition [in the state playoffs] than we’ve already faced in the region,” Marshall said. “We got blessed to be the No. 2 seed, so we don’t have to get in that dogfight. We are already guaranteed a state playoff spot. Now, we’re just playing for seeding, but it’s going to be a tough road. Iron sharpens iron, though.”
PCHS will be at full strength this week as the team’s second-leading scorer Landon Bonner is back from injury. He missed both games against Glenn Hills and Josey last week.
The War Eagles will rely on Bonner, but also Georgia Southern signee Eren Banks this week. Banks is averaging 21.6 points per game, while Bonner is totaling 18.7 points per contest.
Putnam County is also going to have to depend on senior Keyni Crawford (12.9 ppg) and Payton Ellison (5.1 ppg). They each play a vital role in the War Eagles’ overall success.
“Teams change throughout the course of the year, and during the second and maybe even third time you play them, that’s probably when you’re going to find the most about them,” Marshall said. “Everything is different. So, now your rotation might be different and your bench might be shorter. Now, it’s down to the wire and the better players are going to play more minutes, so you’ve got to make sure everything is fine-tuned heading into it.
“Everything is magnified now,” he added. “Now, we can’t miss a bunch of free throws or have a bunch of turnovers. So, all the little things are magnified and we need to make sure we stay on the path and focus. Every day we’re going to have to focus harder and harder.”
According to SandysSpiel.com, Putnam County will play in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Westside in Augusta, where the War Eagles are likely to face No. 3-seed Butler. The finals of the Region 4-AA tournament will be played at 8:30 p.m. Friday, again at Westside.