The Oglethorpe men's basketball team dropped their final game of the regular season Saturday in Mount Berry, falling to the homestanding Berry Vikings 78-66 to fall into a third-place tie in the SAA. The Stormy Petrels trailed much of the game and never really could gain a foothold in the contest. They fell to 14-11 overall and 8-6 in league play to close the regular season.

The teams traded baskets for the opening part of the first half, but Berry extended their advantage to 28-20 with 6:50 to go in the period. Oglethorpe fought back to make it a 3-point game, 30-27, with 4:12 left until halftime, but the home side responded with 6 straight points to make it 36-27 with 1:45 to go in the first half. 

Oglethorpe went on a 12-6 run in the second half to make it as close as a 6-point game, 55-49, when sophomore guard Carlos Sone sank a 3-pointer at the 7:50 mark. They again trailed by just 6 when Sone converted a layup moments later, making the score 57-51 with 6:45 left. However, Berry didn't let the Petrels get any closer than that, and they pulled away to the 78-66 win.

Berry shot 47.5 percent to the Petrels' 39.3-percent mark, but rebounding proved the big difference in the game. The home side outboarded the Petrels 50-24 overall, leading to a 17-3 margin in second chance points. Oglethorpe committed just seven turnovers and forced Berry into 15 of them, but it simply wasn't enough to offset the extra and extended possessions the Vikings got via the glass.

Junior guard Dimetri Chambers led the way for the Petrels with 20 points on 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Justin Day added 13 points, while Sone contributed 10 points, seven boards and three steals. 

The Petrels now get set for the SAA Tournament, set to start Sunday, Feb. 23 with the opening round of play. The semifinal and final rounds will follow Feb. 29 and March 1.