GREENE COUNTY
The Greene County boys’ basketball team (2-3) is starting to find its stride five games into the year.
After knocking off Taliaferro County in the 2023-24 season opener, the Tigers dropped three consecutive games. They lost to Putnam County twice (76-69; 80-76) and Morgan County (43-39).
However, Greene County rebounded with a dominant 73-41 win over Aquinas this past Saturday.
Against Putnam County, the Tigers took the rival War Eagles down to the wire, losing by four points. They led by four points with 3:14 left but couldn’t finish the game out and lost a tough one.
Greene County coach Mark Wright felt like his team battled but made a few mistakes down the stretch.
“We handed Putnam a gift. Coach (LaPatrick) Marshall from Putnam talked to me after the game. He had the utmost respect and wasn’t expecting a game like that. He liked the challenge,” Wright said. “We came in with a specific game plan and made sure somebody else beat us outside of No. 2 (Landon Bonner). Even so, he still scored 17 points. Shows you how great of a player he is and how great of a program Putnam is, despite shutting down some of their best players.”
Putnam County led 37-27 at the half, but Greene County battled back. Junior forward Laryous Burt put the team on his back in the third quarter, scoring 18 points as the War Eagles couldn’t stop him. Junior guard Steve Miller also hit a few big-time shots in the third as the Tigers trailed 57-56.
Bonner left the game with 6:57 left, but Putnam County sophomore J’mari Greene stepped up in his absence. Bonner then returned with under three minutes remaining. The senior guard hit a pivotal jump shot at the 1:03 mark to give the War Eagles a 75-74 lead that they would never give up.
Wright accepted the blame for the loss by not having his players ready to play in such a high-pressure moment.
“We’re still so young, so we make a lot of mistakes and these guys aren’t used to playing in adverse situations,” Wright said. “So, I take that on myself because it’s coaching. I’ve got to do better on that. Helping these guys out in tough situations to finish games, but being up with four (points) with a minute and some change left, we’ve got to close out games. We helped Putnam out.”
Burt scored a team-high 30 points, followed by Miller with 19 points, respectively. Ryder Eschbach contributed 13 points and Jessie Broadus also added 11 points in the loss to Putnam County.
Greene County rebounded by defeating region foe Aquinas at home in the Tigers Den this past Saturday. The Tigers dominated from start to finish, defeating the Fighting Irish by 33 points.
Wright felt like his team responded in the right way after losing to Putnam less than 24 hours earlier. He also said the three straight losses to rivals was a great “learning tool” for his young team.
“We lost three straight but it didn’t feel like it. We lost to Morgan (County) by four (points), shutting down their best player Ryan Moore, who averages 17 a game, to just four points. Jacoby (Simmons) was limited,” Wright added. “We also played Putnam pretty strong at our place losing by seven and at their place losing by four. So, it’s a big difference from last year when we lost to them by 50 or 60. The guys are upbeat and don’t feel like they lost games, honestly. They’re confident. They have a strong mindset. They’re playing hard and to win. That is all I can ask for.”
Next up, Greene County will host Washington-Wilkes at 8:30 p.m. Friday and travel to Warren County Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.