MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Vikings faced the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels in a wintery face off Friday night at the Cage. This battle tested Vikings made all the right plays to shift momentum into their favor, as the Vikings started out the wintery weekend with a big conference win. 

This was a historic night for several Vikings, as this marks Drew Winegarden's season high of 22 points and a career-high of 14 points for  Mason Lawrence. Cameron Pope was the engine as usual, knocking through 24 points and adding 8 assists. The experienced Issac Martin also displayed a career high of 7 rebounds. Ryan Luttrell added 14 points to help pace the Viking attack. 

The matchup began with a swift 7-0 run with the help of Drew Winegarden and Mason Lawrence. Cameron Pope also put fuel to the fire early on to give the Vikings and early 19-9 lead. This strong offensive start was met with powerful "brick wall" defense by Cameron Pope and Mason Lawrence.  

The 1st half carried on, and the Petrel offense was picking up some momentum. In this mounting pressure, Ryan Luttrell hit back-to-back trifectas, giving the Vikings a dominant 35-18 lead. The Petrels responded to this prolonged scoring streak with a newfound offensive pressure, finishing the half with a 43-37 Vikings lead. 

As the latter half was starting, the roar of the student section was a precursor to how this game was going to end. Issac Martin started the half off with a smooth baseline bucket. Buckets like these sent the message that beating the Vikings was not going to be an easy task. With 13 minutes to go, the Petrels took the Vikings by "storm", shrinking the lead to 9 points. 

With the crowd on edge, Canon Armstead kept the momentum alive for Berry with a "Kyle Korver" looking 3, electrifying the Cage. The Petrels then answered back, knocking the Viking lead to just 10. As the clock waned down, the Viking defense rallied together as Drew Winegarden took the wheel. Back-to-back buckets by Winegarden catapulted the Viking's chemistry to end the game. The bleacher stomps were being echoed throughout the Cage as Winegarden hit a Curry-style "and1" 3-pointer. Pope then slowed down the offense as the crowd roared. The buzzer sounded, and the Vikings walked into the snowy weekend with a 92-75 win against the Petrels. 

The Vikings plan on playing Millsaps College next Friday at the Cage!