The John Carroll men’s basketball knocked off the rust to start 2025, and earned a win over visiting Wilmington Jan. 4. In some ways, the same can be said about Coach Pete Moran, who returned to the sideline and watched his team win its fourth game in a row, 74-56. Moran was open about why he took a leave of absence during the holidays for a few weeks. He was dealing with anxiety. After the win, Moran — who’s always fiery and intense during games — looked refreshed and rejuvenated. PHOTOS: John Carroll vs. Wilmington men’s basketball, Jan. 4, 2025 That’s because Moran couldn’t be more thankful for the support from his JCU players, coaches, the administration and especially his family during his hiatus. “They were there for me when I needed them the most,” said Moran. .@JCUMensHoops coach @Pmoran07 on his return from a leave of absence while dealing with anxiety and his team’s defense-first approach after beating Wilmington on Jan. 4 @jcusports pic.twitter.com/JcYVxApxk2 — Mark Podolski (@mpodo) January 5, 2025 As for his second family, the Blue Streaks fought off a slow start and pulled away in the second half with 40 minutes of in-your-face defense. “Just getting back with the guys,” said Moran about his return to the court. “It wasn’t a hard transition. We talked about what I went through. Our guys are incredible young men who won a few basketball games in my absence. Couldn’t be more proud of them.” John Carroll men's basketball coach Pete Moran (squating) with the rest of the Blue Streaks' coaching staff during their win over Wilmington Jan. 4. (Brian Fisher - For The News-Herald) Following a four-game losing streak after All-America point guard Luke Chicone of Mentor went down with a broken foot, JCU (7-4, 2-2 Ohio Athletic Conference) has flipped the switch during its four-game winning streak. The key has been the Blue Streaks’ defense, which again was on lockdown mode against Wilmington (2-9, 0-4). Offensively, JCU started slow and with about five minutes to play until halftime faced a 27-19 deficit. That was answered with a 10-0 run keyed by a number of stops on defense and the home team took a two-point lead into the locker room. The game was close in the early portion of the second half but the play on offense in the paint by post players Henry Raynor and David Gentry gave the Blue Streaks enough to pull away. Raynor and Gentry combined to make 13 of 18 shots from the floor. Raynor — 6 of 9 — had with 13 points with a team-high nine rebounds, and Genry — 7 of 9 — finished with a team-high 17 points, including one of JCU’s three 3-pointers. In Moran’s place during his absence was assistant Dave Wojciechowski, the former longtime coach at Harvey and VASJ. “Woj” harped on defense during the holidays and that mindset has carried into 2025. “I think Coach Woj did a great job harping on that consistently, to the point where guys were exhausted hearing that,” said Moran of his team’s defensive approach. “… I think we’re defending the 3-point line better and our big guys are cleaning up things around the key.” Wilmington struggled from short and long range — it made just 21 of 71 shots overall (29.6 percent) and 8 of 26 from 3. The Blue Steaks attempted just 11 shots from 3-point range but made good inside the arc and shot 30 of 58 for the game (51.7 percent). That shooting percentage offset 21 turnovers committed by JCU. Raynor said the two-week layoff from his team’s last game likely contributed to the slow start. Their defense kept the Blue Streaks in the game until the offense came alive with 45 second-half points. “We just wanted to slow it down, and like I’ve said before, a lot of our offense comes from our great defense,” said Raynor. “I thought we turned on the intensity, especially early in the second half and that got us great looks on the offensive end.” Will Yontek and Chase Toppin each scored eight points and contributed in other categories. Yontek had five rebounds and Toppin added six assists and two steals. Luke Frazier (Lake Catholic) had seven points plus six rebounds and three assists. JCU’s next game is Jan. 8 at Otterbein, which has the same record as the Blue Streaks at 7-4 and 2-2 in the OAC.