After opening the season 0-4, South Putnam boy's basketball coach Josh Estridge has watched his team win four of its last six games, including two games in the Monrovia Holiday Tournament to leave with the title. Against Monrovia, South Putnam got 24 points from both Drew Hill and Cameron Bozell. Wyatt Mullin, who Estridge said has been one of the team's best defenders, scored 11, while Parker Harris chipped in with six. 

"We shot the ball really well against Monrovia and only had four turnovers. Those are two areas that we continue to work on," the first year head coach told The Putnam County Post. 

In addition to beating host Monrovia, the Eagles knocked off Eastern Green in the tournament, and Estridge is hopeful the momentum will continue in the new year. 

"As a whole, our team keeps improving every single day. Against Eastern Greene, Isaac Garner had his best game of the season with 10 points off the bench. Blake Witt also chipped in 8 points. Khalil Jefferson had two huge free throws down the stretch versus Eastern Greene. Drew Cline continues to be one of our best defenders," Estridge said. 

At this point in the season, Estridge admits the Eagles are where he thought they would be. 

"The attitude and effort of our players has been a huge reason for us continuing to grow and improve. We don’t win the Monrovia Holiday Tournament without our team having a let’s get better every single day mentality. I’m not surprised with this team. Our staff from day one knew we had the ability to be a good team that could compete with anyone," Estridge said. 

Now, with 2024 underway and the Eagles set to return to the court Jan. 5 against Sullivan, Estridge said his team must continue to play with a chip on its shoulder and a desire to improve. 

"If we do that, we will continue to compete in every game and we will have a successful 2024," Estridge said.