Berry held off LaGrange for a 63-60 non-conference win Saturday in Mariotti Gym. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Panthers, now 5-4.
"A tough game tonight against an improved Berry team," Coach Lee Buchanan said. "I liked our energy and effort late in the game but this is the second game in a row that we have had a bad scoring third quarter. It's disappointing to go into the Christmas break with a loss after the terrific start we had to the season.
"Our four losses have come to real good teams and that will help us get better as the season moves along. As long as this team keeps working hard and working to get better every day in practice then we will get back to the winning side of things."
Junior Marilauren Farr led the Panthers with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Jeris Johnson and Jaelynn James each had 10 points. Alex Weems led Berry (4-4) with a double-double of a game-high 21 points to go with 11 rebounds.
The teams went back-and-forth in the first half, with the game being tied six times and the lead changing hands 11 more times. Riley Chlupacek's 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 28-26 lead late in the half, but the Vikings scored the final five points to lead 31-28 at the break.
Berry built its halftime lead to 49-39 by the end of the third period. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings led by as many as 11. The Panthers made a late run to trim the deficit to the final three-point margin by the end of the game.
The Panthers host Brenau on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m.
