The 18th-ranked Calumet High School boys basketball team has been rather protective of its home floor for the past few years.
The last time an opponent defeated the Chieftains on Calumet's home turf was in January 2006 against Gracemont.
However, the three-year streak came to an end against Binger-Oney, but not without a fight. The Bobcats, ranked 12th in Class B, got out to an early lead, going up 18-12 to end the first quarter.
The Bobcats would pull away farther before the half, leading 34-19 at the break. It was a 17-point game after three frames, 46-29, and despite one final run from the Chieftains, the Bobcats won by a final of 57-44.
It was Calumet's first loss in the Washita Valley Conference since November 2007. Senior Grant Hedrick went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, finishing with 18 points. Caleb Gilbert had 11 points and eight boards, while Oran Laub added six points.
Jeffrey Williams scored four points, Joseph Thornton added three and Dylan Gilbert scored two to round out the Chieftains scoring. “The two things we talked about before the game were taking care of the ball and blocking out, and we didn't do either,” said coach Matt Haley.
“We gave them 16 points off offensive rebounds. We won the second half, but were in too big of a hole at that point. They were bigger and more experienced than us and our youth was exposed tonight. When you don't take care of the ball and do the little things, then you have a good shot of being beat. It was an early loss, but hopefully we will learn from it and bounce back.”