The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
JCU wins third in a row; OAC tournament looms
Blue Streaks players, coaches are confident heading into postseason
Although it did not go as well as predicted and anticipated, the regular season ended well for the John Carroll men’s basketball team with a 92-89 victory over Wilmington on Feb. 16 at DeCarlo Varsity Center.
It was the third straight victory for the Blue Streaks, who upped their record to 12-13 overall and 8-10 in the OAC.
Picked to finished first in the conference’s preseason poll, the Blue Streaks instead finished sixth. They’ll hit the road to face third-seeded Marietta
(19-5, 13-4) in the OAC tournament’s first round on Feb. 19.
JCU finished an up-anddown ride through the regular season with victories over Ohio Northern, Otterbein and Wilmington.
Sophomore guard Jackson Sartain paced JCU against Wilmington with 25 points. The 6-foot-1 product of Medina High School was 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
Sartain has 94 3-pointers this season, breaking the record of 90 he established last season. He came into the regular season finale averaging 14.1 points and shooting an OAC-best 45.8 percent on 3-pointers.
“In the offseason, I worked hard and put up 500 shots a day,” Sartain said.
The Blue Streaks needed every stitch of Sartain’s point production as Wilmington mounted a relentless second-half push.
Trailing, 67-47, eight minutes deep into the second half, the Quakers made it 86-84 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Will Patrick with 1:20 remaining. Patrick netted a game-high 27 points for the Quakers.
The Blue Streaks raced to a 25-13 lead midway through the first half, then watched Wilmington embark on a 17-0 run to take a 30-25 lead. JCU answered with a 21-6 run to seize the lead at halftime, 46-36.
JCU got 15 points apiece from junior guards Sean Flannery and Ryan Berger. Sophomore forward Luke Hippler finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Jimmy Berger had 13 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
The Blue Streaks decisively won the rebounding battle, 45 to 30.
Despite the disappointments of the regular season, Sartain said he and his teammates are feeling confident heading into the OAC tournament as defending champions.
“The tournament is more important than the regular season. We like where we’re at,” Sartain said.
JCU coach Petet Moran is similarly bullish.
“We’re playing better now. I don’t think anyone in the conference wants to face us in the tournament,” Moran said.
Wilmington finished 17-7 overall and fourth in the OAC at 13-5. The Quakers will host fifth-seeded Baldwin Wallace in the tournament’s first round on Feb. 19.