Panthers take Berry to the wire before falling
Jan. 21, 2008

LaGrange College played Berry College down to the wire before falling 79-75 at Mariotti Gym on Monday night. It was the third straight loss for the Panthers, now 4-13. The Vikings won for the fifth time in their last six games to improve to 13-7.

The game was the 98th in the series, dating back to 1957. The Panthers have only played GSAC foe Piedmont more times than the Vikings. With the win, Berry evened the series at 49-49 and avenged a 75-73 home loss to the Panthers last season.

Monday's game was as tight as the series. The game was tied on 18 occasions and there were 16 lead changes. Berry's largest lead was six points on two occasions. The Panthers' largest lead was just four points.

LaGrange held a 68-65 lead with 3:45 left after Landon Baize sank two free throws. The Vikings came back to take a 72-70 lead after Daniel Ferguson put back Will Blackwell's missed layup. Joe Cromwell tied the game for the Panthers for the last time with a jumper.

Ferguson, who led all scorers with 16 points, put Berry ahead to stay with 59 seconds left. He completed a three-point play for a 75-72 lead. Cromwell made one-of-two free throws to make it 75-73. But Jake Darling's layup and a pair of free throws by Blackwell gave the Vikings a 79-73 lead and put the game out of reach. Cromwell scored in the final seconds for the 79-75 final score.

In the first half, Berry took a 34-28 lead after a basket and a 3-pointer from Zach Darling. Britt Gaylord answered for the Panthers with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit in half. Gaylord led the Panthers in the half with nine points in just four minutes of playing time. Nic Whitfield tied the game at 36 off an assist from Baize. Blackwell's jumper at the buzzer gave the Vikings a 40-38 lead at the half.

Caleb Smallwood and Demetris Render had 15 points each for the Panthers. Cromwell finished with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Panthers continue their homestand Thursday in a non-conference game against Emmanuel College. They finish the homestand Saturday in a GSAC contest against Piedmont.