The reinvented version of the John Carroll men’s basketball team is minus All-America point guard Luke Chicone of Mentor — who’s out with an injury — but the bunch that remains is a proud group and is playing like it. On Jan. 15 in a key Ohio Athletic Conference showdown with first-place Heidelberg, the host Blue Streaks led from start to finish en route to a 77-70 victory and their seventh straight win. PHOTOS: John Carroll vs. Heidelberg men’s basketball, Jan. 15, 2025 After an 0-2 start in the OAC, JCU is now 10-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play. It's tied for second with Heidelberg in the OAC and a game back of Mount Union and Muskingum, who are each 6-1. Jan. 18 will be another big game for the Blue Streaks as they play at Muskingum. That contest can wait. On Jan. 15, JCU controlled the pace from a Heidelberg team that prefers to play up-tempo. Coach Pete Moran's team was once like that with Chicone leading the way. But without him, the Blue Streaks are playing a deliberate style of half-court centered around inside play, tough defense, taking care of the ball and winning the rebounding battle. All those boxes were checked against the Student Princes (9-5, 5-2). JCU hammered Heidelberg on the boards, 41-22, scored 40 points in the paint, turned the ball over just five times and held Elijah Harden — the OAC's leading scorer at 20 points per game — to eight points on 3 of 9 shooting. "(We) have some grit, (and we) share the ball," said senior swingman Luke Frazier of Lake Catholic. "(We're) getting the bigs the ball, they're killing it. We're on a really good roll and I think we're going to be really good for the future." John Carroll's Aidan Fitzgerald had 11 points and six rebounds against Heidelberg on Jan. 15. (Brian Fisher - For The News-Herald) Aidan Fitzgerald took on the challenge of guarding Harden and stuck to him like glue, much to the delight of Moran. Fitzgerald missed the last game while out sick and lost some weight but that didn't seem to bother the sophomore from Lake Catholic. "He's the prime example of someone who just accepts his role," said Moran of Fitzgerald. "In a weird way, he's get more enjoyment out of doing that any ball that goes in the basket for him. But he makes very crucial plays for us too." None was bigger than in final minutes with Heidelberg looking to rally, down, 70-65. From the paint, Henry Raynor (11 points, eight rebounds) made a move to the basket and found Fitzgerald (11 points, six rebounds) closing in from the baseline alone for a bunny layup. From that point, the rally ended and JCU's celebration began. John Carroll's Aidan Fitzgerald looks to the basket in the paint on Jan. 15 against Heidelberg. The Lake Catholic grad had 11 points and six rebounds. (Brian Fisher - For The News-Herald) Frazier had a huge second half after he scored just two in the game's first 20 minutes. His 19 points in the second made it a stat-stuffer kind of night. Frazier finished with 21 points — including three 3-pointers — eight assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and a steal. "I wasn't necessarily frustrated," said Frazier about his first half. "Obviously, when you work on your game a lot and you know you can make shots, seeing them not fall stinks. Seeing them fall in the second half definitely helped." JCU started strong in the first, and was buoyed by its bench — most notably the play swingmen Brandon Rose (Gilmour) and Tiffin transfer Kasey Hunt. Rose was active slashing to the basket and got several open looks from mid-range and made 4 of 6 shots for eight first-half points, which paced the team alongside Raynor. Hunt provided instant offense in the game's first 10 minutes with a long shot just inside the 3-point arc, a mid-range swish and a 3 from the corner that gave the Blue Streaks an early 16-8 advantage.