ATLANTA –  After a long night, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels ended their regular season with a 97-77 loss to the Berry Vikings. 

Nine Petrels entered the scoring column as Jackson Kemp led with a career high of 26 points, going perfect from the field (10-of-10) and from the perimeter (5-of-5). Uba Ezigbo followed with 16, and Jordan James with 15 points. Malachi Dooley recorded three assists. 

"Berry was really good tonight," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "We made some mistakes on defense, but their offense was really clicking tonight. No one in the league would have beaten them tonight, just like no one has beaten them all season."

Kemp was on a roll in the second half, recording 21 of Oglethorpe's 44 points in the period. However, Berry had already established a considerable lead that would carry them until the end. James also showed a lot of determination during the period, making all five of his free-throw attempts and totaling 14 points in the half.  

The Vikings opened the game with a 5-0 run, making the Petrels play catch-up from the very beginning. Oglethorpe would only come close to tying the score twice early in the first half, but never found an equalizer. Berry held the lead throughout the entire game, despite the determination and hard work from the Petrels. Kemp was the last to score, sinking a three-pointer as Oglethorpe fell 97-77. 

"Offensively, we played about as good as any team has played against them all year," Ponder added. "We just couldn't get stops on the defensive end. But, everyone is 0-0 now. We're going to try to make a run."

Game Notes 

• The Vikings remained undefeated in conference play. 
• Last season, Oglethorpe lost the SAA title game to Berry by just one point. 
• Jackson Kemp also recorded a career high of three steals and was one shy of her career high in rebounds with eight.  
• Berry is ranked No. 1 in conference and No. 23 in NCAA Division III.
• Oglethorpe finished the regular season tied for fifth in the conference.

Up Next 

The Southern Athletic Association tournament is set to begin on Sunday, Feb.19, and the Stormy Petrels will head to Sewanee. If the Petrels are victorious, they will face either Rhodes or Millsaps in the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 25. The SAA finals are set for Sunday, Feb. 26.