The Putnam County boys’ basketball team is off to one of the best starts in program history. The sixth-ranked War Eagles are currently 4-0 entering the fourth week of the season.
According to MaxPreps.com, the last time Putnam started out 4-0 was the 2005-06 season. The War Eagles are firing on all cylinders right now and have beaten some quality opponents.
Putnam defeated Class 4A’s Northside (Columbus) to begin its 2022-23 campaign. The War Eagles then beat Class A Divison II’s pre-season No. 9-ranked Hancock Central.
Last week, Putnam topped rival Greene County 81-29 on Friday before closing out the regular season with a win over the Bulldogs on Saturday. The War Eagles completed the sweep of Hancock Central (1-3) with a 58-52 victory at the Eagles Nest.
Junior Landon Bonner is leading Putnam in scoring through four games with 17.8 points per game. He’s also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.
Senior Eren Banks has also been productive, averaging 17.5 points per game. The Georgia Southern signee is also pulling down 5.0 rebounds and dishing out 3.0 assists.
Finally, Keyni Crawford is the team’s third-leading scorer. He missed the first game due to an ankle injury, but he’s made up for it since. He’s averaging 14.7 points per game.
The trio of Bonner, Banks and Crawford led the team in scoring against Greene County.
The War Eagles started out hot from the field, leading 23-10 at the end of the first quarter. They scored a game-high 24 points in the next period and led 47-19 at the half.
The Tigers struggled against Putnam’s half-court press. The War Eagles were able to force a lot of turnovers in the first half, which continued in the final two quarters of regulation.
Putnam outscored Greene 34-10 in the second half. The War Eagles’ defensive pressure never lightened up as several Tigers’ turnovers led to points on the other end.
Crawford led Putnam with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He also totaled four rebounds, four assists and five steals. The War Eagles had three other players in double digits: Bonner (17 points), Banks (14 points) and Payton Ellison (10 points).
Putnam’s toughest test of the week was hosting Hancock Central for a rematch on Saturday. The War Eagles escaped with a one-point overtime victory on the road the previous week. So, the Bulldogs came into the Eagles' Nest looking for some revenge.
However, Putnam was able to hold off a late surge from Hancock Central and sweep the series.
Both teams were locked in a tight battle at the half. The Bulldogs led 22-21 at the half. The War Eagles then came out and shot well in the third quarter with credit to Banks and Crawford. The senior duo helped Putnam lead 44-40 heading into the fourth.
Hancock Central got to within striking distance a few times, but Putnam’s pressure and rebounding made the difference. Senior forward Michael Morris had a season-high 13 rebounds for the War Eagles against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Banks had a team-high 20 points, followed by Crawford with 16 points. Morris and Bonner both had seven points each. Ellison added six points and two rebounds in the win.
Putnam County is averaging 67.3 points per contest on offense through its first four games. The War Eagles’ defense is also only allowing 51 points per contest so far this year.
LaPatrick Marshall’s squad has two rivalry games this week. Putnam will face Jasper County at home this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The War Eagles will then head to Madison to take on Morgan Countyon Saturday. Tip-off for that game is set for 7:30 p.m.