• If days such as this one in Pennsylvania continue for the John Carroll backcourt, the men’s basketball team could be a nightmare for opposing defenses in 2023-24.
On Nov. 18 in the championship game of the Susquehanna Tip Off Tournament, the guard trio of Luke Chicone (Mentor), Luke Frazier (Lake Catholic) and Chase Toppin dazzled in an 83-73 win over host Susquehanna.
Chicone (24 points), Frazier (24) and Toppin (16) combined for 64 of the Blue Streaks’ 83 points — or 77% of their team’s offensive production. Together, they shot 24 of 44 (54.5%) from the floor.
“We’re working great together,” said Frazier in a phone interview. “(Chicone) is off to great start, and a guy like Chase brings effort and energy every night, and he always has the ability to score for us.”
Frazier’s 24 points is a season-high, and he’s also expanded his game through four games with his rebounding ability. Frazier entered the game averaging just under 10 rebounds a game and added seven more against Susquehanna. He has 35 boards in four games.
“My goal is to try and get 10 rebounds a game,” said Frazier.
Against Susquehanna, it wasn’t as easy as the double-digit result might indicate.
JCU (4-0) trailed by one at halftime, 35-34, but — according to Frazier — an emphasis on defensive pressure helped the Blue Streaks outscore their opponent, 49-38, in the second half.
“I think our team is getting a lot better,” said Frazier, who made 10 of 19 shots from the floor and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. “The last two games, we’re moving the ball, and the offense is flowing. We’re a little stagnant in the first half, but we came out in the second with a lot of fire. Our main focus was defensively playing better.”
The Blue Streaks’ defense allowed just six points to Susquehanna in the first eight minutes of the second half. That allowed the offense to go on a 21-6 run that turned that one-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
• JCU’s record-setting season in women’s soccer continued Nov. 18 as the squad defeated No. 14-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1-0, in a Sweet 16 matchup.
Avon grad Meredith Coloain’s goal in the 56th minute was the game-winner.
NDCL graduate Madeline Martin Kosier was a force in net with 11 saves. Kosier was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and the OAC Freshman of the Year.
On Nov. 19, JCU’s bid to get to the Final Four ended in a 1-0 to No. 5-ranked Messiah University in an Elite Eight matchup.
The Blue Streaks’ season ended at 16-2-5 this season. JCU in the Elite Eight was the farthest the program has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
