Box Score

John Carroll scored the final 11 points of the game to snatch a 71-66 victory away from the upset minded Marietta Pioneers in an Ohio Athletic Conference match-up Saturday in Marietta, Ohio.

Marietta took a 66-60 lead on a three-pointer by Isaiah Creasap with 3:19 reamining in regulation, but it would be the final points of the contest by the home team.  Joe Meyer (Mentor, OH, Mentor) cut the lead to four points on a jumper with 2:08 to play, then calmly sank three consecutive free throws after being fouled while attempting a shot from beyond the arc with 1:04 to play.

The JCU defense then took over. Meyer made a steal with 57 seconds left, leading to a Rudy Kirbus (Willoughby Hills, OH, Cleveland St. Ignatius) lay-up that gave the Blue Streaks their first lead of the second half. With a half minute left, Chris Zajac (Brecksville, OH, Brecksville-Broadview Heights) made a steal and fed the ball to Meyer, who wad fouled. Meyer drained both free throws for a 69-66 John Carroll advantage.

The Blue Streaks finished the comeback when Marietta was forced to foul Kirbus after a turnover. Kirbus made both free throws to give is team a 71-66 lead with 14 seconds showing on the clock. 

John Carroll got off to a great start by building an 11-5 lead over the first five minutes. But Marietta answered by scoring the next eight points. 

The two teams would go through four ties and five lead changes over the next six minutes, leading to a 24-24 tie. From there, the Pioneers would embark on another 8-0 run to take a 32-24 lead with 4:44 to play.  

Foreshadowing things to come, Marietta did not score another point the rest of the first half. JCU, however, was unable to make the Pioneers pay for their lack of fofense by scoring just three points during that same stretch. The host team took a 32-29 lead into the locker room.

Marietta led for the first 19:08 of the second half, building its lead to as many as ten points. John Carroll did not closer than three points until that decisive final run.

John Carroll (9-4, 5-2 OAC), which won its season-high fifth game in a row, was paced by 20 points from Kirbus. Meyer scored 12 points (seven in the final 2:08) and fellow rookie Corey Shontz (Andover, OH, Pymatuning Valley)added 11 in the Blue Streaks' 14th consecutive win over the Pioneers.

Marietta (6-7, 1-5 OAC) was led by 20 points from Trevor Halter and 11 from Creasap. The Pioneers were undone by 27 turnovers, including six in the final three minutes.