Junior Marcus Hill's 25-point performance anchored a Ranger offensive effort that shot 51 percent from the floor, and the Jesuit Dallas stood firm late to push the Rangers to a hard-fought, 66-63 win over J.J. Pearce on Friday at Postell Stadium. The victory pushes Jesuit to 6-3 in University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A play and hands the Rangers a season sweep over the Mustangs.
 
Hill shot 6-of-10 from three-point range, adding six rebounds and two steals. Three members of the Ranger offense scored in double digits, including 13 points from junior Michael Jankovich and 11 points from senior Jeff Grimes. Jesuit compensated for an impressive J.J. Pearce forward contingent highlighted by Drew Timme, a six-foot, eight-inch forward who finished the evening with 27 points and 15 boards, with 18 points off of 11 Mustang turnovers to tip the scales.
 
Senior Mitch Prendergast and Hill shred the team lead with six rebounds each, while junior Reid Hatzmann racked up eight assists for the Blue and Gold. Senior Alan Garcia blocked two shots, with Prendergast adding two steals. The Rangers scored 15 second chance points off of seven offensive rebounds to assist in their victorious effort.
 
Jesuit gained control of the game early, embarking on a 10-point run late in the first quarter to obtain a two-possession lead. However, J.J. Pearce came back, tying the game and taking the lead midway through the second. Prendergast sliced through the entire Mustang defense, going coast-to-coast with five seconds left to close a half-ending, 14-9 Jesuit run that handed the Blue and Gold a three-point lead at the break.
 
J.J. Pearce once again made a run at the Rangers, racking up a 13-7 run to go up three points with 2:35 left in the third. Jesuit took the lead back for good with another 10-point run, entering the fourth quarter leading 50-43. An 8-2 run by Pearce brought the Mustangs to within one, but Jesuit responded with six unanswered points to forge another two-possession lead.
 
The Rangers were unable to shut the door on the Mustangs, shooting 3-of-6 from the charity stripe, but did not allow Pearce to get a quality look to tie the game from behind the arc. Timme had a chance to send the game into overtime, but his game-tying attempt from near midcourt clanged off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
 
Jesuit will next travel to Lake Highlands on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.