The Jesuit Rangers caught fire in the second half to earn a 50-39 come-from-behind victory over Strake Jesuit Saturday in Houston. After going into the locker room down 23-15 at half time, the Rangers went on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the second half to tie the score at 23-23. Lockdown defense and clutch free throw shooting clinched the victory for Jesuit down the stretch.

The Rangers started the game slowly, while Strake Jesuit came out firing on all cylinders.  Michael McReynolds kept the game close by scoring 10 points in the first half, putting Jesuit down eight points going into the intermission. But that deficit disappeared almost instantly in the third quarter. Hank Shotland stole the ball on Strake Jesuit's first possession, then earned three points the old fashioned way to get the streak going. Tyler Schlapkohl hit a three pointer to bring the Rangers within two, then Chris Nwosu forced a steal and hit a transition layup to tie the score at 23-23 just two minutes into the half.

Jesuit's defense found a new gear in the second half, forcing turnovers on each of the Crusaders' first four possessions. After the teams traded buckets for most of the quarter, Schlapkohl hit another three in the closing minutes to give Jesuit a 32-29 lead going into the fourth. Early buckets from Sam Truxal and Chris Nwosu put Jesuit in the driver's seat, and Christian Chiles went 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to clinch the victory.

Jesuit advances to 6-3 as the team will break for Finals Week. The team arrived in Houston Friday and stayed with Strake Jesuit families before Saturday's game, and the two teams also had a joint mass Saturday morning.

The Rangers next game will be 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, against Cedar Hill at Walsh Gym.