ATLANTA - Despite a comeback attempt that saw Brevard College take a one-point lead with 15 seconds left, the Brevard men's basketball team (1-8) fell in heartbreaking fashion, 71-70, to Berry College (9-2) in the first day of the Holiday Inn Express Classic tournament hosted by Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.
Senior guard Demari Hopper hit a pair of free throws to give the Tornados their late lead, 70-69, with 15 seconds left to play in Sunday evening's contest. However, Berry's Caleb Haynes responded with a layup in the game's final seconds to drop Brevard in a narrow decision.
Junior forward Cannon Lamb posted his second double-double effort of the 2019-20 season, as the Marion, North Carolina native dropped 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting that included a team-high five 3-pointers. He also hauled down 10 boards, all defensive rebounds, which was a game-high.
Senior guard Demari Hopper tied his season-high by adding 14 points to Brevard's offensive efforts, while also recording three steals. Sophomore guard Mike Williams continued his solid offensive play of late, scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers while also grabbing six rebounds. Senior forward Levi Lamb, an Atlanta native, tallied nine points and tied team-highs in assists (four) and steals (three).
Brevard was defeated despite one of its hottest shooting performances of the 2019-20 season. The Tornados shot 48.1% from the field, their second-best mark of the season while draining 11-of-26 3-pointers for 42.3%. Brevard's 11 3-pointers set a new season-high for Head Coach Lee Burgess' squad, while the 42.3% mark was the team's second-highest 3-point percentage of the year.
Berry slightly out-rebounded Brevard, 35-30. The Tornados committed 16 turnovers compared to the Vikings' 12. Berry's biggest advantage came from bench points, where the Vikings' reserves outscored Brevard's 29-10.
A Hopper layup followed by a Williams 3-pointer sparked a hot Brevard start, giving the Tornados an early 5-0 advantage. Brevard extended this lead to a 9-2 margin just over two minutes into the contest that was followed by a 12-4 lead after Cannon Lamb drilled his first of five long-range buckets.
Brevard held the lead through the first 11 minutes of Sunday's contest before the Vikings took a 25-23 lead after a Haynes layup with 8:24 left in the first half.
The Vikings extended their advantage to 14 points, 46-32, with 1:46 left in the first half. The Tornados answered back with an 8-0 scoring run to close the first half, as Berry held a six-point lead, 46-40, at the intermission.
Brevard was able to keep the deficit that it faced within single digits throughout the entirety of the second half. With just under a minute to play and trailing by four points, 69-65, Cannon Lamb hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to draw the Tornados within one point, 69-68, with 50 seconds left in regulation.
After a missed layup by Berry, Brevard's Hopper drew a foul and stepped to the free-throw line with 14 seconds left to play. The Gastonia, North Carolina native hit both shots from the charity stripe to give the Tornados their first lead of the second half, 70-69.
However, following a Berry timeout, the Vikings were able to draw up the game-winning play. Berry's Haynes hit a layup off a DJ Estes assist to push the Vikings past the Tornados, 71-70.
Brevard will close out the 2019 calendar year and the Holiday Inn Express Tournament on Monday as the Tornados take on host Oglethorpe. Brevard will face the Stormy Petrels at 4 p.m.
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