MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - A basket in the final 30 seconds by Sydney Blankenship helped the Berry Vikings to a season-opening win over Huntingdon, 63-61, on Wednesday night in the Cage Center.

The Hawks had an answer for everything the Vikings tried on offense throughout the third quarter, but in the fourth, Berry rallied to score 26 points. With the clock ticking down to the last eight minutes, Ellie Gearing hit back-to-back shots, giving the Vikings the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 44-43.

The Berry lead would swell to seven 56-49, but Huntingdon wouldn't be put away so easily, as A.B. Davis sank a three to give the Hawks the lead, 60-58. Two free-throws on the next trip down the floor by Elizabeth Sierzant tied the game, 60-60. After the teams traded defensive stands, Berry had the ball with 40 seconds to go in a tie game. The play would go to Blankenship, who drove the lane for a lay-up with 29.7 to go, putting Berry on top, 62-60.

The Vikings would have to make one more defensive stand, as a free-throw by the Hawks made it 62-61, but a Huntingdon rebound gave the guests another chance. Huntingdon got off two more shots before Blankenship grabbed the final rebound with 0.8 seconds to go, sealing the win for BC.

In the early going, the Vikings distanced themselves 12-5 on a layup from Kenadie Lee, finding offensive momentum early. In the final two minutes of the first quarter, the Hawks scored seven unanswered points to give them a 15-14 advantage over the Vikings after 10 minutes.

Huntingdon overwhelmed the Vikings in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 15-9. The only points the Vikings could conjure were off of free throws, until the last two minutes before halftime, when two layups from Mckenna Lentych were enough to cut Huntingdon's lead to seven at the half, 30-23.

Lee led the team in points with 15, with Sierzant right behind her with 14, and seven rebounds. Lentych led all players with 10 rebounds. As a team, the Vikings made 70 percent of their free throws (14-of-20), and scored 30 points in the paint.

Berry will be back at home on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. for the CCS/SAA Classic as it faces off with LaGrange.