The Texas state-ranked No. 12 Skyline Raiders utilized a 62 percent shooting percentage and a possession-based offensive strategy to hold the Rangers to a season-low point total, handing Jesuit Dallas its first University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A loss, 56-38, on Friday evening at Walsh Gymnasium.

Junior Mitch Prendergast led the Blue and Gold from the field, shooting 5-of-8 and knocking down a three-pointer to finish with a team-high 11 points.  Sophomore Michael Jankovich added 10 points, while senior Ben Kunasek tacked on five points, five rebounds and three assists.  Junior Jacob Palisch tied Kunasek for the team lead with five boards while sophomore Marcus hill scored six points.

Skyline (21-1, 7-0 UIL) took advantage of the lack of a shot clock in Texas high school hoops, extending several possessions well over a minute throughout the duration of the game.  In total, the Raiders only recorded 50 possessions during the contest, with each opportunity averaging 26 seconds in comparison to the 48 possessions by the Rangers (16-6, 6-1 UIL), which averaged 15 seconds each. 

In addition, the Raiders scored 18 points off of 14 Jesuit Dallas turnovers and won despite losing the rebounding battle to Jesuit, 19-18 and a rough, 14-of-29 night from the charity stripe.

Jankovich buried a three-pointer off of a pass by Palisch 58 seconds into the first quarter, but it was quickly answered by Skyline for an early tie.  The opening quarter ended with the Raiders ahead, 11-9 after a three-pointer by guard Tivin Ridguard with 2:10 remaining in the first.  The Raiders attempted to end the quarter with a basket, milking nearly two minutes off of the clock before missing a jumper as the buzzer sounded. 

Jesuit was unable to take the lead back in the second, cutting the visitor's advantage to two points off of a layup by Prendergast at the 6:35 mark before watching a 9-6 Raider run close out the quarter, sending Skyline into the break with a 22-17 lead.

With the five-point lead, the Raiders held the ball for the majority of the third quarter, a methodically paced strategy that resulted in only seven points scored in the opening portion of the second half, all scored by Skyline, resulting in a 13-point lead headed into the fourth. 

Early in the fourth, Kunasek found fellow senior Shawn Regan on an inbounds play for an easy jumper to spark a determined rallying attempt by the Rangers.  However, despite Jesuit slicing the lead down to eight with three minutes left after a three-pointer by Jankovich, the Raiders converted 12-of-18 free-throw attempts over the final 2:35 to keep a double-digit lead intact until the final buzzer.

Jesuit Dallas will aim to rebound on Tuesday, Jan. 26, when the Rangers will welcome Irving to Walsh Gymnasium for 7:30 p.m. tip-off.