MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Vikings picked up a solid 63-44 victory over the Rhodes Lynx to close out their regular season and build momentum towards the Southern Athletic Association Tournament.
Briaiah Lewis was the straw that stirred the coffee for the Vikings with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and six assists to power the Viking attack. Senior Callie Jackson, dropped in 11 points, along with her fellow seniors Elly Callihan and Lauren Ellard, who knocked in nine apiece.
Avery Payne got things going for the Vikings as she finished a layup to get the party started. The Vikings went quiet for the next two minutes before Lauren Ellard lined up a jump shot to give Berry a 4-3 lead with 7 minutes to play in the first quarter. Jade Lewis widened the gap for the Vikings, as she drilled a three off a dime from Avery Payne. Payne continued to be a spark early on, dancing her way to the basket for another layup to give Berry a 9-3 lead with 5:30 left to play in the first period.
A 10-0 run had the Vikings up 12-3 before Rhodes finally answered with a 3 that cut the Viking lead to 12-6. A Lauren Ellard layup would have the Vikings sitting with a 14-8 lead at the end of one.
Rhodes responded with a 5-0 run to cut into the lead before Briaiah Lewis got loose for back-to-back layups, including a strong and-one to give Berry an 21-13 lead with 6:55 to play in the half. Lewis added four more points to control the pace of the second quarter and preserve a 25-17 advantage at the four-minute mark. A back an forth exchange at the end of the half left Berry with a comfortable 31-21 lead at the break.
The Vikings continued to pull away in the second half, as Jade Lewis and Callie Jackson each drilled three-pointers to keep the Lynx at an arm's length with a 43-29 advantage with four minutes left in the third. After cutting the lead down to nine, a huge Jackson three-pointer pushed their lead back to 12 with under two minutes left in the third period. The Vikings headed into the fourth quarter with a 47-34 lead.
Rhodes hung around with the Vikings until the 5-minute mark of the fourth, when Jade Lewis attacked the basket for a layup and a Callie Jackson three-pointer off an assist from Alana Azeta put Rhodes in an insurmountable hole. With a 58-38 advantage with 4:11 to play, Berry's pace and ball control salted away the game, leaving the Vikings with a 63-44 victory heading into the conference tournament.
Head Coach Thomas Johnson had this to say about the big win, "The team played well, it was a great team win, and everyone gave their best effort, and that allowed us to utilize the bench, who was productive for us as well. It sets us up to trend upward as the tournament approaches, defensively and communication wise we are gradually improving, so I am excited to see how we do next week."
The Vikings will await their opponent as all roads lead through Mount Berry, with the tournament beginning on February 26.
