A 22-point second quarter swung the momentum in the favor of Jesuit Dallas, lifting the Rangers to a 65-52, season-opening win over Mesquite on Tuesday evening at Mesquite High School. 

Junior Mitch Prendergast netted a squad-leading 19 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor while converting 6-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe.  The Rangers (1-0) saw 21 points come from the free throw line, while the squad closed out the contest shooting 50 percent from the floor.  Making his debut on the varsity roster, Alan Garcia made his impact known with a 15-point, five rebound performance. 

Sophomore Michael Jankovich pulled down a squad-leading six boards, adding six points while fellow second year Marcus Hill buried a pair of three-pointers, leading the squad from outside the arc and finishing with 10 points in his debut.

Jesuit Dallas forced 15 Mesquite turnovers, scoring 12 points off of Skeeter miscues, additionally outscoring Mesquite, 24-20, in the paint.  A total of 18 points were scored off of the Ranger bench, highlighted by Hill's nine-point second quarter.

Mesquite took a 10-9 lead after the first quarter, leading by a game-high six points after a three-pointer and fast break layup started the second.  Hill's first three pointer snapped a 6-0 streak from the home team,  and his second tied the game at 17-17 with 4:31 remaining in the half.  Junior Dixon Smith and Garcia knocked down a pair of free throws each to give the Rangers their first lead of the game, an advantage the Blue and Gold would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.

A Dixon layup gave the Rangers a six-point lead, and the Ranger defense locked down a late first half flurry by the Skeeters.  With the first half clock winding down, Smith found Garcia on a cross-court pass, and the junior responded by burying a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to send the visitors into the break leading by four.

In the third, the Rangers saw an eight-point lead whittle to a one-possession game with 1:02 left in the quarter.  Two free throws by Hill brought the lead back to four points, the beginning of a 18-8 run that would essentially ice the game, giving Jesuit Dallas a 58-48 lead with 2:02 left in the game.  Over the final minute of the game, the Rangers would go 5-for-6 from the free throw line, erasing any hope for a Mesquite comeback.

Jesuit Dallas will next open the 2015-16 home season against Strake Jesuit at 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.