Sophomore guard Drew Shepherd of the LaGrange College men's basketball team scored a career-high 19 points during a 92-77 USA South setback to Berea on Saturday afternoon in Mariotti Gym.

Shepherd shot 5-for-9 from the floor, 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. The four made 3-pointers and five made free throws are career highs for the guard.

Junior forward Ronald Youngblood had a strong all-around game for the Panthers (3-11, 2-5 USA South), finishing with 10 points, nine boards and five assists. For Berea (8-6, 4-3 USA South), Isaac Caudill (25 points, 9 rebounds) and Torell Carter (23 points, 7 rebounds) led the way.

"Our youth is showing," said Panthers Head Coach Kendal Wallace. "Silly turnovers and second-chance opportunities put us behind in the first half. We reversed that in the second half, but just could not get the stops when needed down the stretch. I am proud of my guys for playing hard. We are still trying to figure out how to play smart."

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Panthers came out strong with five-straight points by junior Julian Cameron. The guard got to the rim for a layup, and then on the ensuing offensive possession, he drilled a three-ball off a feed by Youngblood, giving the Panthers a 5-0 advantage 55 seconds into the game.
• A pair of foul shots by Quae Charlton gave the Mountaineers an 11-8 lead with 14:38 left in the half. The Panthers responded with a 6-0 surge, as back-to-back layups by sophomore guard Henry Blair gave the team a 14-11 advantage.
• With 11:26 left, Blair pulled down a defensive rebound, and then exploded in transition for a driving dunk, evening the score at 16-16.
• With 10:07 left, junior Kyle Brown made an outstanding post move, knotting the game at 18-18. He received the ball and quickly made a spin move. Brown then used a head fake to get the Berea defender off his feet, and then converted a layup.
• Youngblood converted a layup, while simultaneously drawing a foul with 8:01 on the scoreboard, allowing the Panthers to regain the lead at 26-25.
• Berea ended the half on an 18-5 run, taking a 43-31 lead into halftime on two made foul shots by Caudill with 49 seconds on the clock.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Panthers came out with great energy in the opening minutes of the second half. Junior forward Lincoln Anderson recorded a second-chance layup off his own missed shot, cutting the deficit down to 43-33 39 seconds into the half.
• Cameron buried a top-of-the-key 3, and then Shepherd drained a right-wing trey off dribble penetration by Youngblood, bringing the unit to within six at 45-39 with 17:48 left.
• The Panthers were not able to get closer than six the rest of the way, but Shepherd kept generating offense for the hosts. A tightly-contested, left-wing three-ball by Shepherd made it a 59-50 game with 11:26 left.
• Berea started getting some separation in the final 10 minutes. A layup by Andrew Doty gave the Mountaineers an 84-66 cushion with 3:31 left, which was their largest lead of the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Brown finished with 10 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the floor. Anderson (8 points, 8 rebounds) shot 4-for-6 from floor, while tallying four offensive boards.
• Cameron finished with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.
• Caudill and Carter combined to shot 18-for-28 from the floor for Berea, while Caudill went a perfect 10-for-10 from the line.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Panthers are 4-2 all-time against Berea, as the teams first met during the 2001-02 season. The Mountaineers won the first-ever meeting on their homecourt, 89-75.
• LaGrange won the next four games in the series, sweeping the season series in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
• The Panthers' last win in the rivalry was a 99-78 triumph on Feb. 9, 2019. Six Panthers reached double figures in that game, highlighted by Cameron's team-high 17 points.

UP NEXT:

• The Panthers will be back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m. against USA South-rival N.C. Wesleyan in Mariotti Gym.