Mt. Berry, Ga. - Balanced scoring and a big run midway through the second half helped Berry stay in the race for first in the Southern Athletic Association, as the Vikings defeated Rhodes, 75-58, Friday night in men's basketball action at the Cage Center.

With the lead at four, 51-47, with eight minutes gone in the second half, the Vikings (16-2, 7-1 SAA) would use their defense and timely shooting to pull away. Blake Campbell would knife to the basket on back-to-back possessions to score five points in a row, sparking an 18-0 run from the Vikings. By the time the run ended over five minutes later with an Owen Honroth layup after a Rhodes turnover, the Vikings had built a lead that reached 22 points.

Campbell finished the night with 13 points, with Honroth adding 12. Michael Johnson led all Berry scorer's with 14 points, with Robbie Rusciano adding 10.

A close first half saw the Vikings go into the locker room up 37-32 after Johnson drained a three-pointer with two seconds left in the period. Johnson was one of eight different Vikings to score in the opening half of play, with his 10 points leading the charge for BC.

Both teams shot the ball well for the contest, but the Vikings hit at a clip of 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the field, with 11 of the 18 misses coming from three-point territory.

Jalen Essick led all scorers with 23 points for Rhodes (9-11, 4-6). Zavien Williams added 12 points in the losing effort.

The Vikings will be back in action Sunday against Hendrix, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.