Oxford basketball will not be a part of the postseason for the first time this century.

The Chargers (15-15, 2-4 Region 1-6A) were eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday as they suffered a 56-42 defeat at the hands of Grenada in the Region 1-6A consolation game.

They struggled to find a consistent scoring option throughout the game as Grenada used a box-and-one zone to keep the ball out of star guard D.J. Davis’s hands and force other players to knock down shots.

“Their box-and-one was better than ours,” said head coach Drew Tyler. “Their box-and-one cut down touches and points as far as our productivity on offense and we didn’t really stymie them… we didn’t step up to the plate.”

Oxford managed to maintain a narrow lead through the first two quarters despite surrendering 10 offensive rebounds in the first 13 minutes of action, but a halfcourt buzzer-beater from Donte Calhoun brought Grenada back within two at the halftime break.

They capitalized on the momentum swing with a massive third quarter, going on a 16-0 run at one point as they outscored Oxford 21-5 in the period.

“It was — you shore something up on the right wing and Grenada’s scoring from the left wing. You shore up the entire perimeter and they’re scoring under the goal,” Tyler said. “You might win a little battle here but you’re losing a bigger battle or the war on the other side and that’s what it felt like for pretty much three-and-a-half quarters.”

Grenada coasted through the final quarter of play to secure their first victory of the season over Oxford when it mattered most.

The Chargers were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss as they missed the postseason for the first time this century.

“It was just too much Jekyll [and] Hyde. It was just one look to another throughout the entire game and that’s kind of been one of our identities through the whole year… we had a lot of turnovers too to where we didn’t even get a shot on certain offensive trips. I think some of the playoffs want a shortcut to success and there’s not shortcut.”

Oxford will retain a lion’s share of their production from this year as they attempt to reload in the offseason and make it back to the playoffs next year with a more experienced roster.