Trey Moore's double-double propels Eagles over Warriors

PENN -- The South Putnam boys' basketball team went into Tuesday night looking for its first win of the season. Led by senior Trey Moore's 34 points and 10 rebounds, the Eagles traveled into Turkey Run and did so, winning 58-50.

"We (South Putnam) want to try and improve each night, each quarter, each half and each game, and I thought we did that tonight." South Putnam head coach Troy Burgess said.

The Eagles (1-1) had a strong first quarter posting 16 points to the Warriors' 10. Moore led his team with 13 points in the quarter.

Burgess said Moore would have to continue to have nights like that for them to be successful. They are trying to get their feet under themselves and Moore needs to be a leader, he said.

When the Eagles gained a comfortable lead, TRHS (1-1) started looking to its outside shot and closed the gap on the Eagles. Their 16-10 lead was tied at 18 in the final minutes of the half. SPHS tacked on three more to take a 21-18 lead going into half.

Moore came out of halftime with what looked like a chip on his shoulder. He took over the third quarter scoring 13 of the Eagles' 15 points and helped hold the Warriors to only five points.

The fourth quarter became a replay of the second. SPHS took a 46-30 lead with just under four minutes left. The Warriors started their full court press and forced the Eagles to turn the ball over five possessions in a row.

With the leadership of sophomore Dewey Ashley and junior Austin Jones, the Warriors cut the lead to 46-42 in just 45 seconds. They had a chance to cut it to two on a turnover by SPHS senior Sawyer Arnold but failed to convert.

"Sometimes things don't go our way," Burgess said. "We have to overcome things, and we got seniors out there. We got guys who know how to play basketball."

With the tide starting to turn into the Warriors likings, Moore took control of the ball and scored six of the Eagles' 12 points and grabbed four crucial rebounds. Sophomore Jimmy Rutter scored their final six points and secured the victory.

TRHS tried to make another push, but some late fouls stopped their chances.

SPHS stopped the Warriors' inside shooting and forced them to take outside shots. This meant the Warriors had to rely on their 3-point shooters, who were only 6-for-22 on the night.

The Eagles were the opposite. They relied on their inside shooting and close layups for their points. They only took four 3s on the night. They were 21-for-43 on the inside shooting.

"It wasn't a pretty win, but I'd rather take an ugly win over a loss any day," Burgess said.

The Eagles will head into the Putnam County Classic on Friday with their heads up and plenty of confidence. South Putnam faces North Putnam in the tournament's opening round scheduled to tip at 8 p.m.

South Putnam (22-47):
Moore 34, Rutter 6, Chestnut 4, Mitchell 4, Vittetow 4, Arnold 3, Long 2, Carmichael 1