A 15-0 run put Jesuit Dallas up by nine points with three minutes left in the third quarter, but the Rangers were unable to withstand an inspired fourth quarter flurry by Irving Nimitz, dropping a 54-49 decision to the Vikings on Friday evening at Walsh Gymnasium.

Sophomore Michael Jankovich shot 7-of-11 from the floor, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc to close out Friday's University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A contest with a team-high 21 points.  Seniors Rusty Landon and Shawn Regan, junior Jacob Palisch and sophomore Marcus Hill scored six points each, spearheading a Ranger offense that scored 25 points in the paint while finishing 42.2 percent from the floor.

Landon, Palisch and Regan snagged four rebounds each, while Palisch added a team-high three steals.  Senior Ben Kunasek picked up a team-leading four assists while Regan and Landon each recorded a block.

Nimitz opened the contest looking to avenge the seven-point loss to the Rangers on Jan. 5, taking an early, 12-8 lead with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter.  A jumper by Jankovich with 50 seconds remaining sliced the lead to two points before a second-quarter starting layup by sophomore Reid Hatzmann tied the game for the first time since the 2:51 mark of the opening quarter.

The Vikings re-acquired a six-point lead with 2:14 remaining in the half before a layup by Landon with 33 seconds remaining in the opening stanza put the Rangers within four at halftime.  Landon's bucket tilted the momentum directly towards Jesuit, sparking a 19-4 run that put the home team ahead. 

On two consecutive possessions, the Rangers pressured the Vikings into 62a midcourt turnover, both of which resulted in fast break layups by Palisch.  The junior's second layup at the 4:59 mark of the third gave Jesuit Dallas its first lead since the first quarter, 30-29.  In total, the Ranger run spanned 7:14, spotting the Blue and Gold a nine-point, 38-29 lead with three minutes left in the third.

Nimitz interrupted the Jesuit Dallas run, relying on guard Jared Jenkins for the comeback attempt.  Jenkins would score 11 of the next 17 Viking points, leading the team on a 17-6 run that put Nimitz up, 46-44, with 2:30 left in regulation.

Jankovich buried a big three-pointer with 1:13 remaining, putting Jesuit Dallas up by one point.  Jenkins responded with a fade away jumper from the left elbow, handing the lead back to Nimitz, 50-49, with 36 seconds remaining.  The Vikings then forced a Jesuit Dallas turnover and watched Cameron Collier convert both free-throw attempts to force the Rangers to hit a three-pointer in the waning moments.  The final surge by the Blue and Gold fell just off the mark, and the Vikings were able to hang on for the district win.

Jesuit Dallas will aim to rebound on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. on the road against W.T. White.  The Rangers will return home on Friday, Feb. 5 for a 7:30 p.m. tip against MacArthur.  In their first meeting of the season, the Rangers defeated the then Texas state-ranked No. 22 Cardinals, 64-61, on Jan. 12, and defeated W.T. White at home, 80-33, on Jan. 8.