JESUIT DALLAS AT SUNSET
Jan. 19, 2016 ~ 8 p.m.
Dallas, Texas - Ellis Davis Fieldhouse (Jesse Owens Athletic Complex)
Live Broadcast
Live Stats

Rangers Score Historic Win over MacArthur: A running jumper by sophomore Marcus Hill broke a 57-57 tie with 43 seconds remaining in regulation, helping lift Jesuit Dallas to a 64-61 triumph over Irving MacArthur, ranked No. 22 in the most recent Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state ranking, on Tuesday evening at MacArthur High School. Jesuit Dallas defeated MacArthur (13-5, 2-2 UIL 9-6A) on for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when the Blue and Gold swept the Cardinals both on the road and at Walsh Gymnasium.  Upending MacArthur for the first time under the tenure of head coach Chris Hill, Jesuit Dallas was led offensively by Hill, who netted 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting and four three-pointers, adding four rebounds.  Hill was one of three Rangers to score in double digits, joining juniors Mitch Prendergast and Jacob Palisch, who scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.   Palisch was a key contributor to the Ranger effort, securing a team-leading eight rebounds, including four offensive boards.  Jesuit Dallas narrowly out-rebounded MacArthur, 31-26, but 18 second chance points proved to be the difference in the game, sparked from the team's 13 offensive rebounds.  Senior Ben Kunasek collected seven assists, and scored nine points, adding five rebounds.  Classmate Rusty Landon added six boards and a steal, causing one of 15 MacArthur turnovers that resulted in 12 Jesuit Dallas points.

Winning Streak Reaches Five Against Lions: Jesuit Dallas scored 30 points in the paint, 20 points off turnovers while shooting 56.5 percent from the floor in a 68-38 win over R.L. Turner on Friday at Walsh Gymnasium.  Fresh off of a huge win over Texas state-ranked No. 22 MacArthur on Tuesday, the Rangers (15-5, 5-0 UIL) were led offensively by sophomore Marcus Hill, who scored 24 points en route to his second-highest scoring outing of the season.  Recording his 10th consecutive double digit performance and third outing of 20 points or more in the Rangers' last five games, Hill went 5-of-9 from three-point range while tacking on a team-leading three steals.  Three Rangers logged double-digit performances, including junior Mitch Prendergast, who posted 11 points while adding a team-leading four assists.  Senior Ben Kunasek scored 10 points, adding a pair of assists.   Seniors Rusty Landon and Shawn Regan alongside junior Jacob Palisch snagged four rebounds each, with Regan adding seven points.  Sophomore Reid Hatzmann filled the stat line with six points, two assists, a block and two steals.

No District Defensive Dilemma: Fellow members of UIL District 9-6A have not fared well against the Rangers to start the 2016 league slate, averaging a paltry 44.2 points per game over Jesuit's five district games thus far.  Four of the five lowest opponent scoring totals this season have come from district foes, most notably during the Rangers last two home games against W.T. White and R.L. Turner, where the Longhorns and Lions scored 33 and 38 points, respectively.

The Ranger Road Warriors: Owners of a 4-2 road record, the Rangers are unbeaten on the road against non state-ranked teams, entering Tuesday's matchup with Sunset on a three-game road winning streak.  On Tuesday, the Blue and Gold completed a sweep of the Irving area, picking up an 82-45 triumph over Irving on Jan. 2, a 51-44 win over Nimitz on Jan. 5 before completing the sweep with last Tuesday's 64-61 win over MacArthur. 

Second Year Sparks: Sophomores Michael Jankovich and Marcus Hill have continued their impressive debut seasons on the varsity roster, entering the week as the top two scorers for the Rangers.  Hill, named Ranger of the Week on Monday, leads the team with a 43.8 three-point percentage (56-of-128) and averages 14.4 points per game.  Jankovich crossed the 300-point plateau for the season on Friday against R.L. Turner and maintains the team scoring lead with 15.1 points per game.  Hill, Jankovich and Reid Hatzmann are currently the three members of the squad shooting 40 percent or better from beyond the arc (with 30 or more attempts), while Hatzmann additionally ranks second on the team with 49 assists.

Scouting Sunset: The Bison are 2-10 overall and head into the week looking for their first UIL District 9-6A victory of the season.  Last week, Sunset dropped a 77-44 decision at Irving before falling to Skyline on Friday evening.  Sunset's first win of the season came in overtime against Thomas Jefferson, 54-47, on Dec. 4, followed by a 49-29 win over St. Paul's Prep on Dec. 10 and a 38-23 triumph over A-Plus Academy on Dec. 15.

Scouting Skyline: Ranked No. 12 in the most recent Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) state rankings, the Raiders open the week with a 19-1 mark, their only loss courtesy of Lancaster, who upended Skyline, 64-60 in the Dallas ISD Tournament.  The Raiders staked their claim for the UIL District 9-6A crown with a 67-61 win over MacArthur on Jan. 8.  After defeating the Cardinals, Skyline defeated R.L. Turner and Irving by a combined score of 123-34.

Next Week: Jesuit Dallas will remain at Walsh Gymnasium for the conclusion of a three-game home stand, welcoming Irving for a 7:30 p.m. tilt on Jan. 26 before a Friday evening battle with Nimitz at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29.