Coming off of a huge victory over No. 6 ranked Mount Union earlier in the week, the John Carroll Men’s Basketball team’s next challenge came in Bexley, Ohio where they were faced with taking down the Capital Comets on the road on Sat., Jan. 28. 

Earlier this season, the Blue Streaks knocked off the Comets in a dominant fashion by a score of 77-59. This time around, the Comets proved to be a tougher challenge for the Blue and Gold. 

As the clock started, the game began at a sluggish pace with both teams struggling to secure points. At the 18-minute mark, the first points of the game came by a pair of free throws finished by Luka Eller ‘26. 

Capital tied it up two minutes later with their own set of free throws before going on a 5-0 run which put Capital up 7-2 with 14 minutes left in the first half. 

The Blue Streaks fought back and found themselves up by a point, making the score 25-24 at halftime despite a lackluster first half. 

Coming out of the half, the Blue and Gold looked as if they found new life as they hit tough shots and gained a six-point lead by the 16-minute mark. However, the Comets did not falter and fought back to tie the game at the 11-minute mark. 

The score teetered back and forth during the entirety of the second half with neither team giving into the pressure. Guards Jerry Higgins III ‘25, Chase Toppin ‘24 and Luke Chicone ‘26 proved to be the difference makers. The squad created clutch defensive stops along with great shots which propelled the Blue Streaks late in the game. 

John Carroll finished with a tough fought win, 73-65, as they maintain first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference and set themselves up nicely come the OAC tournament. 

Chicone and Luke Frazier ‘26 finished with a combined total of 39 points with Chicone leading the way with 24 points, going 10/18 in shooting. Henry Raynor ‘26 and Eller cleaned up the boards, combining for 13 total rebounds.

The Blue and Gold also added 24 points off of turnovers, something that is a staple of this year’s team. These turnovers proved to be the difference maker for John Carroll.

Next in line for the Blue Streaks is another road challenge where they face off against Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. Heidelberg holds an 8-4 conference record and will present another hard challenge for the Blue and Gold.