Rhodes Becomes All-Time Leading Scorer In Oregon-Davis Win
While the Oregon-Davis Lady Bobcats were able to pull back above .500 on the season in a 62-36 win against the Argos Lady Dragons, it would be Senior Mercedes Rhodes who would be featured in the spotlight at Oregon-Davis High School Thursday night. Rhodes entered the game having scored 1,845 points in her career, just twenty-three points away from surpassing 2014 graduate Ashley Campbell’s total of 1,867, going into the matchup with the Lady Dragons.
It was a very balanced scoring night for the O-D Senior, with her points spread out over the four quarters, rather than simply a one or two quarter scoring explosion. That being said, Rhodes came out and ripped two three-point shots early in the ballgame, helping get her Lady Bobcats off to a great start. Rhodes, as she usually does, would spend time working the ball around to her teammates, allowing them the opportunities to score themselves, but when she saw her moments, Mercedes put the pedal to the metal. She was one of six players to score at least two points in the first half for the Lady Bobcats, helping guide her team to a nine-point lead at halftime, 30-21, leading the team with ten of those points.
The second half would show much of the same strategy from the Lady ‘Cats, as they continued to push the tempo on the offensive end of the floor, while playing smothering defense against the athletic Lady Dragons. The second biggest highlight of the ball game would come at the end of the third quarter. With just eight and a half seconds remaining, Rhodes would take the inbounds pass, near mid-court. The Senior was able to get passed her defender on her way to the basket, being met with some contact as she elevated toward the rim. Rhodes had anticipated the contact, bracing herself as she glided through the air, before softly glancing the ball off of the backboard, through the hoop as time expired. When the horn sounded, the Lady Bobcats were leading Argos by twenty points, 46-26, with Rhodes just seven points from reaching the biggest milestone, to this point, in her career.
With 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, the moment Bobcat fans were waiting for finally happened. Rhodes took the ball from deep in the right wing towards the baseline getting passed her defender, before attacking the basket. As she made her move along the baseline, Rhodes would be met at the hoop by two more Lady Dragon defenders, wanting to prevent the Senior from reaching her milestone for just a little while longer. Rhodes would go straight at the duo, kissing the ball off the glass, watching the ball drop through the net, and into history. With a smile, Rhodes flipped back one of her French braids, before being met by her teammates near mid-court as the celebration began for the schools new all-time leading scorer. After being given the game ball, a hug, and a few encouraging words from Head Coach Terry Minix, Rhodes bounded up the bleachers to where her parents were sitting, handing them the ball, and receiving loving embraces, after the historic accomplishment.
The historic moment exemplified what Oregon-Davis Lady Bobcat Basketball has been under the tutelage of Terry Minix. While the moment was accomplished by a single individual, it is the teammates, the coaches, but most importantly, the family, that helps Lady Bobcat individuals achieve greatness in their high school careers. In the countless number of interviews Mercedes has given out during her high school career, she has always struggled when it comes to talking about herself. That is not a cause of being unable to communicate. As so many athletes in our area have been over the decades, Rhodes is far more concerned about her team and her school than she is about her own personal accomplishments, of which there have been many.
As she trotted back down the bleachers, receiving high fives, fist bumps, and pats on the back all the way, the million dollar smile of Mercedes Rhodes quickly subsided, as the fire in her eyes ferociously returned, with the game not yet over. When the final horn sounded, the Lady Bobcats came away with their ninth win of the year, topping Argos 62-38. The win puts the Lady ‘Cats back over the .500 mark at 9-8, as they get ready for the always intense Bi-County Tournament.
“She’s a gym rat, she loves to play basketball. I’m glad she’s on my team” Minix said of Rhodes following the victory. “You saw it tonight, the range she has, the court awareness she has. She’s just a very special player for us. She passed a kid, Ashley Campbell, who was one of the greatest point guards to play here, Ashley was incredible. It should mean a lot to Mercedes because she passed one heck of a player”.
“I was finally glad that I got it so I could focus on the game” Rhodes said following the win. “I was so worried that I wouldn’t get it. I wanted to do it on the home court, especially with Covid, I don’t know if I’ll ever play here again”.
While she was able to knock down two 3-point shots, Rhodes was not settling for the deep shots throughout the night.
“I was trying to let the game come to me” Rhodes said. “I knew I was going to get guarded pretty close. They sunk in around the 3-point line, I knew I could hit it from out there. So I just shot them to try and open up my driving game”.
While the monumental accomplishment was an exciting moment in the career of Mercedes Rhodes, the last thing she can be accused of is becoming complacent with her achievements to this point in her career. The last thing said in her postgame interview on WKVI:
“I’m going for 2,000”.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Oregon-Davis(62): Elizabeth Johnson-3, Reagan Danford-12, Madi Hudspeth-9, Mackenna Chessor-6, Mercedes Rhodes-26, Kylee Saylor-6
Argos(36): Sydney Shepherd-4, Emma Dunlap-1, Madi VanDerWeele-14, Lizzy Edmonds-17
Made 3-Point Shots
Oregon-Davis(8): Elizabeth Johnson-1, Reagan Danford-4, Mackenna Chessor-1, Mercedes Rhodes-2
Free Throws
Oregon-Davis: 14-18 77%
Argos: 2-4 50%
Rebounding
Argos(26): Samantha Redinger-1, Sydney Shepherd-1, Emma Dunlap-3, Madi VanDerWeele-6, Sophie Bollenbacher-4, Lizzy Edmonds-11
OD(26): Elizabeth Johnson-4, Madi Hudspeth-8, Mackenna Chessor-3, Mercedes Rhodes-7, Kylee Saylor-2, Hemi Stone-2
Steals
OD(8): Elizabeth Johnson-2, Reagan Danford-1, Mackenna Chessor-3, Mercedes Rhodes-2
Argos(7): Sydney Shepherd-3, Isabella Stults-1, Emma Dunlap-2, Madi VanDerWeele-1
*Scoring Statistics In This Article Provided By Oregon-Davis High School. All Other Statistics Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff*
