The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
JCU captures first-ever outright league crown
Chardon grad Spear leads the way; Streaks will host first-round OAC tournament game
John Carroll University senior point guard Kahrin Spear had a flair for the dramatic Feb. 13 at DeCarlo Varsity Center.
Spear joined fellow seniors Chelbi Graham, Bri Pittenger and Shmoo Pryor in being honored before the regular-season finale against Otterbein.
She also took the courtside microphone and sang a stirring rendition of “The StarSpangled Banner.”
Then the Chardon High School product played the game of her young life in a 7167 win over the Cardinals that secured the first outright Ohio Athletic Conference regularseason title in the 48-year history of the JCU women’s basketball program.
JCU and Baldwin Wallace were co-champions in the 2013-14 season.
Spear scored a career-high 23 points as the Blue Streaks upped their records to 18-6 overall and 14-3 in the OAC.
“Surreal, just surreal,” Spear said of playing such an integral role in a win over a Otterbein squad that battled valiantly from opening tip to final buzzer.
“We have worked so hard to achieve this after struggling the previous two seasons. There was a lot of pain, but now we’ve gone all the way to first place.” — John Carroll’s Kahrin Spear
Picked to finish sixth in the OAC women’s preseason poll, the Blue Streaks will have home-court advantage for as long as they are alive in the OAC tournament that begins on Feb. 19.
The Blue Streaks are 11-1 this season at home.
“We have worked so hard to achieve this after struggling the previous two seasons,” Spear said, referring to the 7-18 and 8-18 campaigns that set the stage for this season’s big turnaround.
“There was a lot of pain, but now we’ve gone all the way to first place,” Spear said, smiling, as her teammates celebrated by cutting down the net.
Spear came up huge in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Her step-back 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining gave the Blue Streaks a 65-60 lead.
After the Cardinals shaved JCU’s lead to 66-65 on a banked 3-pointer by senior forward Alex Schaffer with 46 seconds remaining, Spear dribbled top the top of the key, sized up the defense and knifed to the rim to cash in a lay-up to give JCU a 68-65 lead.
After a basket by JCU sophomore forward Nicole Heffington (Mentor), Spear’s free throw with 18.1 seconds remaining gave JCU its final point.
“Kahrin has been playing really big for us all season,” JCU coach Kelly Morrone said. “The progress she made from junior point guard to senior point guard is really notable. She is so confident now.”
Pittenger, Graham and Pryor also made substantial contributions in their regular-season home finale, combining for 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Otterbein’s determined defense limited Heffington to nine points, well beneath her team-leading 15.8 average.
Morrone pointed to Heffington’s team-high totals of seven rebounds, five assists and two steals as proof of how she helps her team win beyond the scoring column.
Otterbein slipped to 15-9 overall and 11-6 in the OAC. Schaffer paced the Cardinals with 17 points.
The Blue Streaks close the regular season at Wilmington on Feb. 16. Tipoff is 3 p.m. Their OAC tournament opener against an opponent to be determined on Feb. 19 tips off at 7 p.m.