MOUNT BERRY, Ga. -
Chase Ellis scored 24 points,
Blake Campbell added 19, and Berry's men's basketball team pulled away from Birmingham-Southern and into the finals of the 2023 Southern Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship with a 78-63 victory Saturday afternoon.
"I thought it was a really hard-fought game against a really well-coached team," said Berry head coach
Mick Hedgepeth. "Cam Glover is a difference maker [for Birmingham-Southern] and I thought our guys did a good job on him today. I think we made them work in the half-court tonight. They certainly made us work hard on offense."
The Vikings won their 17th game in a row with the semifinal win, with the squad jumping out to a 12 point lead at the half, 34-22. BSC would threaten, pulling within eight on two occasions in the late stages of regulation. However, once the Panthers made it 71-63, the Vikings would close the game out on a 6-0 run to set the margin of victory at 15.
Ellis went 8-of-13 from the field, adding a 7-of-7 clip at the charity stripe. The junior added a game-high five assists to help lead the team. Campbell made seven of his 13 shots from the field en route to his 19 points in the scorebook.
"I just feel like once we started to slow it down and play with a little bit more poise, shots started to fall," said Ellis. "I feel like we're at our best when we calm down and understand this is just basketball. BSC is a really good defensive team. Martise Jackson is one of the best defenders in the league. A lot of those shots I made, I guess you could say were lucky. BSC's a really good team. We were able to step up to the challenge today, and we'll keep pushing forward."
The Vikings will face Sewanee in the Sunday championship game as the Tigers knocked off the No. 2 seeded Rhodes squad 77-63. "We're going to get [Sewanee's] best shot," Hedgepeth said. "It could be a different look because it'll be the third time we play someone, but we have a veteran group and we've been here before. It won't come easy, and we certainly have to go out there and perform."
Sunday's tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
