MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Berry Vikings hosted the Belhaven Blazers in today's matchup in Cage Arena, falling in the last seconds 62-60.
In their lowest scoring game all season, Berry was led by 25-points from senior
Braxton Benham who also tallied five rebounds and five assists.
The first half looked to be record setting with 9 first half threes to lead the Blazers 37-27 at the half with key triples from Benham and
Parker Godwin (who had 17-points today).
With a height advantage over the Vikings, Belhaven stayed true to their inside game tallying 26 second chance points with 36 points in the paint (20 of those in the turning second half).
A big turning point in the momentum shifted in the final 20 minutes of play as the home rim only allowed one three to be made for Berry. The teams three point shooting percentage dropped from 47.37 in the first half to 6.67% in the second going 1-15 from beyond the arc.
Despite a tough shooting second half, the Vikings were still a force and played extremely hard to hold of Belhaven.
The final decision came in the final minute of play with the game tied at 57. A driving layup from leading scorer Benham who was fouled at the rim gave the team a three-point advantage with 39 seconds to go.
At the 21 second mark a quick jumper from the Blazers brought the score within one point (60-59), but a quick foul and missed bonus free throw for Berry gave Belhaven a tough three-point basket with 1.8 seconds to go. The final attempt from Benham in such short time fell short.
Berry continues their home stint with a matchup against Earlham this Saturday at 2:00 PM ET in the Cage.
