The Greene County boys’ basketball team recently ended the first part of the regular season with a winning record.
The Tigers have an overall record of 7-6, having faced tough competition through the first two months of the season. After starting 4-5, they’ve won three out of the past four games heading into a two-week break.
Greene County head coach Mark Wright has been impressed with his team’s performance against tough competition. The Tigers will travel to Alabama to face more formidable opponents before region play heats up.
“We’re just trying to get these guys some exposure outside of the state of Georgia. Everything’s in preparation for going to [the] state [tournament]. So we’ve played Chattanooga Prep, the defending state champions in Tennessee, a few weeks ago,” Wright said. “We’ve got a pretty high-profile schedule this year.”
Greene County has faced two No. 1 teams in Putnam County and Calhoun County from Class A Division I and II, respectively. The Tigers have also played Chattanooga Prep and region foe Warren County, a top-10 team.
Greene County defeated Putnam County in a scrimmage but lost in the regular season. The Tigers also lost to Chattanooga Prep, and Calhoun County but defeated Warren County, so they’re very battle-tested. They’ve also beaten high-level competition such as Clarke Central, Morgan County, and Hancock Central.
“We play a lot of tough competition,” Wright said. “It’s all in preparation for how we’re going to approach state.”
Wright said his team doesn’t shy away from the tough competition. In fact, they’ve embraced the challenges they’ve faced.
“Different competition lets them understand that there’s basketball outside of the state of Georgia and different styles of basketball,” Wright said. “You never know what style we’re going to see in the state tournament. Everything is in preparation for how we play in the state. We’re looking to win the state championship this year.”
Greene County relies on seniors RJ Monford, Ryder Eschbach, Jesse Broadus, and Laryous Burt. They each contribute in different ways and lead the younger Tigers. They helped the team reach the playoffs last year.
Monford, Burt, and Broadus shine inside the paint while Eschbach runs the floor from the top of the key.
Last season, Greene County went 19-10, finished second in the region, and won a playoff game before losing to eventual state champion Greenforest. The Tigers returned most of their key contributors from last year.
Greene County also brought back younger guys who contributed last year, such as Ge’Corey Brown and Braylen Hurt.
Wright was excited that his team returned most of its players this year and knew that the depth would help in the playoffs. The third-year coach also gave senior Ivan Porter credit for being reliable off the bench.
“Ivan Porter comes in as a spark off the bench, leads the team in steals, averaging about four or five, 4.7, steals a game, and passes the ball really well,” Wright said of the team’s sixth man. “He gets us in our transitional game really well. So, the great thing about our team is that we don’t have a falloff. We sub guys in, and we just change the way we play, but we don’t have a falloff, I don’t believe. And that’s the beauty of our team.”
Greene County’s next game will be out of state against South Lamar High School of Alabama on Jan. 4.