By James Costello Sports Writer
HAMLET — Last year, an unblemished record put extra pressure on the Lady Bobcats during the state tournament, as fans and pundits speculated on a possible undefeated season.
They won’t have to worry about that this year.
Class A No. 1 Oregon-Davis took its first loss of the season Thursday, falling 69-60 against a significantly bigger, stronger and faster 4A Elkhart Memorial squad at home as the Crimson Chargers handed the Bobcats just their fifth loss so far in the past three seasons.

“In all honesty, this is the reason we schedule it,” said Oregon-Davis girls basketball head coach Terry Minix. “I could pad my record and play all these 1A schools, but that’s not what it’s about. I want to win championships... We’re obviously not going to go undefeated. I didn’t plan on going undefeated. What I planned on was getting the experience and getting better so that, come tournament time, we know what to do if it’s close at the end of the game and everything starts to tighten up on you a little bit.”
“I’d just like to compliment Oregon-Davis on their program,” said Elkhart Memorial head coach Larry Fielstra. “They’re phenomenal, and we were very worried about coming into this game. I expected a close game, and that’s what they gave us.”
O-D led 16-15 at the end of a back-and-forth first quarter, which featured five lead changes. The Chargers took a 36-30 lead at the half after opening the second frame with a 6-0 run on the strength of a pair of Bobcats turnovers and two put-backs by 6-foot junior Jada Buggs and gifted 5-11 sophomore Akyah Taylor. The visitors pilfered four quick steals at the beginning of the third frame and beat the Bobcats in the open court to spark a 10-3 run on fast breaks by Taylor and freshman guard Brionna Barnett, eventually extending their lead to 11 going into the final quarter at O-D.
“Honestly, I’m not taking anything away from them, but I’m not sure we got beat by a better basketball team,” said Minix. “I think we got beat by better athletes, and it’s not trying to take anything away from them. It’s just that they showed their athleticism. They were quicker, they were quick off their feet, they jumped. You don’t see many girls that can play like that.”
The Bobcats still had their opportunities in the final eight minutes. O-D started the fourth quarter with an 11-4 run as senior guard Caley Savoie buried 3-of-4 from deep off two assists by junior point guard Gabi Minix, who finished with four steals, four assists and nine points despite an injured right wrist at the game. Savoie’s final 3 from the right wing with 5:31 on the clock cut the Chargers’ lead to 56-52. After playing off the blocks most of the first half, she finished 5-of-6 from behind the arc in the second half on her way to a team-leading 22 points as Elkhart defenders keyed in on Bobcats sniper and Murray State recruit Aubrey Minix.
“We tried to pull her out because she is a very good shooter,” said Terry Minix of Savoie. “When we introduce, we introduce five guards because that’s what we are, five guards. We know she’s capable of shooting the basketball, and she can step out and hit the 3, and we figured if they were going to leave Jada Buggs down low, we were going to try to pull her out.”
Savoie’s 22 points came at the expense of Aubrey Minix’s production, as she went 0-for-4 in the third quarter and was held more than five points below her average at Thursday’s game with 17 for the night. The senior shooter tried to make something happen off dribble penetration as defenders challenged her on the perimeter, but with Taylor and Buggs clogging the lane, she scored just once off the drive in the final frame. She cooly drained a pair of free throws to bring O-D within two points with 3:32 remaining in the game, but Buggs drove the floor for a layup before the Bobcats defense could get set on the ensuing possession, and the Chargers went 7-of-8 at the line as O-D players began fouling with time running out.
“We’re bigger than they are, and we’re more athletic,” said Fielstra. “They’re a better shooting team than we are so we had to try to get out on them. (Aubrey Minix) was really our focus as far as the perimeter. We wanted somebody else to beat us, and (Savoie) almost did.”
While Elkhart keyed in on Aubrey Minix, the Bobcats wanted to make someone besides Buggs and Taylor beat them on offense. O-D’s 2-3 zone still yielded 16 and 22 points respectively to the out-sized duo, and with Bobcat defenders concentrating on the post, Chargers freshman guard Barnett reaked havoc from the outside. Barnett missed just one shot from the field all night, converting at an outstanding 9-of-10 clip on her way to a career-high, game-leading 29 points Thursday.
“She had a fantastic game,” said Fielstra. “For a freshman to come in this environment against a very good team, and get 29... I’m really not surprised because she’s solid. She’s a good player, but I’m thrilled with her.”
Elkhart Memorial improves to 5-0 with the win at The Den, while the Bobcats slip to 5-1 with their first loss since the Oregon-Davis Regional last February. O-D’s recently beefed up schedule doesn’t let up much over the course of the next week, and the Bobcats will have another 4A match-up with the Wildcats at South Bend Riley at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“Last year when we were 24-1 and got beat in the regional, we had six months to let that stew,” Terry Minix said. “Now we just got beat, and we’ve got one day to turn around and play another 4A school , which is going to be the same type of thing with the athletes. They have two players, and it’s good for us. We’ve just got to regroup and get back to playing team ball.”
• ELKHART MEMORIAL 69,
OREGON-DAVIS 60
At Oregon-Davis
OREGON-DAVIS (60): Samantha Sims 4 0-0 8, Gabrielle Minix 4 1-2 9, Alivia Sims 0 0-0 0, Kelsey Minix 0 0-0 0, Aubrey Minix 6 5-5 17, Nicole Mickow 0 0-0 0, Caley Savoie 8 1-3 22, Maria Duncan 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 7-10 60.
ELKHART MEMORIAL (69): Brianna Culbreath 0 2-2 2, Brionna Barnett 9 7-8 29, Javonda Ruff 0 0-0 0, Akyah Taylor 9 4-4 22, Amanda Cave 0 0-0 0, Jada Buggs 7 4-4 16, Lindsey Shoup 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 17-18 69.
Score by quarters
EM:   15   36   52   69
O-D:  16   30   41   60
3-point goals: O-D 7 (Savoie 5, A. Minix 2), EM 4 (Barnett 4); Rebounds: O-D 14 (A. Minix 4, G. Minix 4), EM 25 (Ruff 7); Assists: O-D 6 (G. Minix 4), EM 6 (Taylor 2); Steals: O-D 10 (G. Minix 4), EM 10 (Barnett 4); Turnovers: O-D 21, EM 26. Total fouls (fouled out): O-D 21(A. Minix), EM 16 (None).
Records: Oregon-Davis 5-1, Elkhart Memorial 5-0.
J.V. score: Elkhart Memorial 49, Oregon-Davis 45.