With a comeback victory on the road against the Ohio Northern Polar Bears on Sat., Feb. 11, the John Carroll Men’s Basketball team improves their record to an admirable 21-2, the record for the most wins in a single season since the 2017-18 season which also happened to be Coach Pete Moran’s first season as head coach. That year, the team went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Sweet 16.

With the help of six Blue Streaks scoring in double digits against the Polar Bears, including a double-double from Luke Chicone ‘25, John Carroll heads into the final week of Ohio Athletic Conference play with a one game lead for the No. 1 seed of the OAC Tournament. 

The Polar Bears played a fantastic first half. They came out firing and controlled the final ten minutes of the opening half. They went 8-11 from behind the arc in the first half. Despite solid halves from Chicone and Chase Toppin ‘25, the Blue and Gold trailed at the break 44-36. All of a sudden, the Blue Streaks were in a fight for the lead. 

Thankfully for them the team had been in the exact same spot just a week prior. John Carroll trailed Heidelberg on the road by double digits throughout the game but still managed to tough out a good win. Yet, against the Polar Bears, the Blue Streaks needed more than one late run. 

Ohio Northern’s lead grew to as many as 15 points early in the second half. The Blue and Gold then went on a 14-4 run. A large amount of credit has to go to graduate student Jerry Higgins III, Chicone, and Henry Raynor ‘25. All three made plays on both ends of the floor to cut the lead to five before being subbed out. Luke Frazier ‘25, Toppin and Will Yontek ‘25 each scored to cut the lead to 70-68. All of a sudden, the final six minutes came down to the wire. 

The Blue Streaks found a way to manage trading baskets and tied the game with a Raynor layup with 3:30 left in regulation. The teams then traded free throws when Yontek went to the line down one shooting two. Yontek split the free throws, played good defense but missed a three at the buzzer to head to overtime. 

The opening of the extra period was another four minutes of the teams going blow for blow. The final 2:30 were then dominated by JCU. The Blue and Gold went on a 14-7 run to capture another road victory after facing adversity. 

Unfortunately, the schedule does not get any easier in the last two games of the regular season. John Carroll ends on the road at Baldwin Wallace and Wilmington. Each team gave the Blue Streaks all they could handle when they played at the Tony DeCarlo Center back in early January. The Blue and Gold still have ownership of the No. 1 seed with a one game lead over the University of Mount Union. 

It has already been a record setting season for John Carroll and a return to where the program was just four years ago. However, the challenge is still ahead, with the Blue Streaks control their own destiny.