South Putnam pulls away in second half from Eminence

EMINENCE – The South Putnam Eagles did not start the game particularly well, but they finished strong at Eminence High School in a boys’ basketball contest on Friday night.

The visiting Eagles outscored the Eels 36-19 in the second half en route to a 63-44 victory. The Eagles pounded the boards in the second half and used their trademark balanced scoring to pick up the win. South picked up 38 boards compared to 29 for the Eels on the night.

South would also limit Eminence to 7-of-20 shooting in the second half to pull away and improve its record to 7-5, while Eminence dropped to 1-10.

“We didn’t get off to the best of starts. I thought we might need to play differently without Jeremiah (Hibbeln) tonight, but we weathered the storm and got some momentum in the second half,” South Putnam head coach Kyle Swafford said of the slow start and the absence of senior Hibbeln.

Drew Hill scored the first six points of the game for the Eagles to give them a 6-2 lead, but Eminence would rally and take a five-point lead at 13-8 with just two minutes left in the first quarter.

Austen Branam got a couple of buckets and Fisher Jones hit a three-pointer to tie the score late in the quarter. Griffin Garner would then get a rebound late and put up a deep three-pointer from the volleyball line that gave the Eagles an 18-15 first-quarter lead.

“I thought Eminence came out with more energy and played a little harder than we did early. We were able to make some key shots and some key times,” Swafford said.

The two teams played a tight second quarter. The Eagles got some early offense in the period in the form of Wyatt Switzer. The sophomore came off the bench and canned back-to-back three-pointers to keep the Eagles in front at 24-18.

The Eagles would continue extending its lead at the buzzer. The Eels had tied the game on a Dylan Barnett trey, but Branam got a rebound bucket and the Eagles took a 27-25 halftime lead.

“(Eminence) had some confidence and were hitting shots. We got a boost from Wyatt (Switzer). He knocked down two big threes, which isn’t exactly his forte,” Swafford said of his defensive sparkplug off the bench.

Zach Dorsett started the second half with a couple of buckets sandwiched around a Branam layup to force an Eminence timeout. The Eagle defense would only allow four points in the first 7:59 of the third period.

The Eagles pounded the boards and limited the Eels to one shot in the quarter behind Wyatt Mullin pulling down six of his 12 rebounds in the quarter. Dorsett and Hill led the offense with six and five points respectively.

South would extend its lead to 42-29 before Aidan Ray would answer with a buzzer-beating three-pointer heading into the fourth quarter. The Eels would get no closer than that 10-point margin of 42-32.

“Wyatt did a great job rebounding the ball tonight. He had a couple of textbook block-out rebounds that, as a coach, is great to see,” Swafford said of his guard.

The Eagles would cruise in the fourth quarter. South would spread the floor and Branam found ways to get the basket during the final period. He picked up eight of his 16 points, usually getting to the rim despite being one of the smallest players in the game.

“Austen does a great job of controlling the pace for us. Tonight, he did a good job of creating for himself,” Swafford said.

Barnett was the only Eminence player in double figures with 15 points, but Hayden Holley had nine points and 13 boards for the Eels. Branam’s 16 led the Eagles with Hill picking up 14 and Switzer adding 10.

The Eagles will head back home for a Saturday night contest against Dugger.

SOUTH PUTNAM (63) –Hill 4-11 4-5 14, Mullin 1-4 2-4 4, Bozell 1-5 0-0 3, Branam 8-16 0-1 16, Dorsett 3-5 2-2 8, Jones 1-2 0-0 3, Garner 2-4 0-2 5, Switzer 3-4 1-2 10. Totals 23-51 FG, 9-16 FT, 63 TP.

EMINENCE (44) – Barnett 5-8 3-6 15, Ray 3-10 0-2 7, Keeton 1-3 2-3 4, Holley 4-8 1-5 9, Mobley 1-4 2-5 4, Webb 2-8 1-2 5. Totals 16-41 FG, 9-23 FT, 44 TP.

3-point shooting – SP 8-20 (Hill 2-6, Mullin 0-2, Bozell 1-4, Branam 0-1, Jones 1-2, Garner 1-1, Switzer 3-4), EHS 3-13 (Barnett 2-4, Ray 1-5, Keeton 0-1, Webb 0-3). Rebounds – SP 38 (Hill 1, Mullin 12, Bozell 8, Branam 3, Dorsett 3, Garner 1, Switzer 7) EHS – 29 (Barnett 2, Keeton 3, Holley 13, Mobley 4, Webb 1) FG Pct. – SP 45.1, EHS 39.0. FT Pct. – SP 56.3, EHS 39.1. Turnovers – SP 15, EHS 16.