MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Vikings took to the court tonight at home to square off against in-state rival, Oglethorpe University, in their "Pack The House" night where they won in dramatic fashion, 82-79.
Berry was paced by another marvelous performance from senior Braxton Benham, who had 28 points, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 3 rebounds. Isaac Martin also played a huge role on the scoreboard, as he tabbed 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Canon Armstead rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points and huge energy plays for the Vikings down the stretch.
The first half was nothing short of a slug-fest, as neither team could take definitive control of the scoreboard. The action got started for the home team in a big way when Benham lunged into a passing lane for a steal and then took the ball coast to coast for an easy dunk for Berry's first basket of the contest. The already electric "Pack the House" crowd got even louder when Drew Winegarden found Jacob Morgan open in the corner for a huge three-pointer that gave the Vikings a 5-2 lead with 18 minutes to play in the first half. A few possessions later, Benham continued his hot streak in the opening minutes when he blew past a defender and finished a layup to extend their lead to five.
After a 4-0 answer from Oglethorpe, Isaac Martin took matters into his own hands when he made a step-back three-pointer to give the Vikings a 10-6 lead with 14:44 left in the first half. After the ten-minute mark, the two teams became committed to knocking down shots, with both teams trading baskets. Later in the half, after the Vikings fell behind by 2 points, Benham dished the ball to Jacob Morgan for a huge three-pointer that gave Berry a 34-33 lead with 3 minutes left in the first half. The back-and-forth action continued for the remainder of the first half with Oglethorpe clinging to a slight advantage at the break, 40-39.
The second half began with Benham attacking the basket strongly and finishing another contested layup to give Berry a brief one-point lead before Oglethorpe answered with two baskets of their own to take a 44-41 lead. A few minutes later, Braxton lurked in a passing lane yet again and snagged another steal before going coast to coast and using a pump fake to draw contact for an and-one opportunity to give Berry a 48-46 lead with 16 minutes to play. A 7-0 run powered by another basket from Benham and two free throws from Isaac Martin gave the Vikings what seemed to be a comfortable 52-46 lead with 14:18 left in the game.
Just before the 12-minute media timeout, Armstead introduced himself to the ball game when he blocked an Oglethorpe layup and then knocked down a corner three-pointer that lit up the Viking crowd as he gave Berry a 57-48 lead. Following an Oglethorpe basket on the next possession, Canon drilled another three-pointer with 11:25 to play, giving Berry a 60-50 lead. Moments later, Drew Winegarden swung the ball to a red-hot Isaac Martin, who made a nifty dribble move before nailing a three-pointer to preserve an 11-point Berry lead.
As the game winded down, senior guard Brandon Stoudamire showed some fire as he attacked the basket with authority and scored two straight driving layups to hold Berry's 11-point lead with just over 9 minutes to play. The Stormy Petrels were not done though, as they clawed their way back into the game. Oglethorpe would cut the Berry lead to just two points with just over three minutes to play. Senior Captain, Benham, answered the bell though, as he weaved his way to the rim and finished a tough layup through contact and got fouled for another and-one. The and-one upped the Berry lead to 77-72 with 2:45 left in the game.
A few mistakes by the Vikings left the door open to the Stormy Petrels as they drew within three points with 30 seconds to play. With the game on the line, the Viking defense prevailed. Parker Godwin's relentless off-ball defense in the post forced Oglethorpe to take a tough shot that was perfectly contested by Isaac Martin and rebounded by the Vikings to seal the deal in a dramatic 82-79 win.
With the win, Berry moves to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the SAA. Their next action will be on January 18 on the road against Millsaps College at 4 PM ET.
