Senior Michael Jankovich drove to the hoop in a tie game with 1.8 seconds in regulation and drew a shooting foul, burying both free throws to send Jesuit Dallas to a 67-65 win over J.J. Pearce to kick off 2017 in Richardson, Texas.
 
The Rangers and Mustangs rekindled their rivalry in an instant classic, a game in which Jesuit (12-6, 1-1) led by 14 and withstood a feverish comeback by J.J. Pearce. Senior Mitch Prendergast led the team with 19 points, while junior Marcus Hill knocked down a trio of three-pointers to post 13 points, his sixth double-digit outing over an eight-game spread. Jankovich finished the bout with 11 points, six boards and a team-leading three assists.
 
Sophomore Max Abmas tacked on 10 points while tying senior Jacob Palisch with a squad-high seven rebounds, while junior Reid Hatzmann logged two steals, finishing with two assists. The stingy Jesuit defense paid dividends once again, scoring 18 points from 15 J.J. Pearce turnovers, and were wildly efficient in drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line, shooting 13-of-16 from the charity stripe.
 
Four of Jesuit's first five baskets were three-pointers, helping vault the team to a 14-7 lead with 3:10 remaining in the first. An 11-5 second quarter-opening run handed the Blue and Gold its first double-digit advantage, helping the Rangers take a game-high, 14-point lead into halftime.
 
The Mustangs erupted to start the third, slicing the Jesuit lead to one point with a 17-4 run. The Rangers did not turn the ball over during that stretch, but saw J.J. Pearce knock down 8 of 10 shots, anchored by nine points from junior forward Brayden Brown.
 
Pearce would tie the game at 50-50 with 2:26 left, but Jesuit responded with a layup by Palisch and conventional three-point play by Abmas, swinging the momentum back into the Rangers' favor in the waning moments of the third. A three-pointer by Abmas with 48 seconds on the third quarter clock sent Jesuit into the final quarter with a 59-52 lead.
 
Prendergast converted a feed from Jankovich to increase the lead to nine, but J.J. Pearce erupted again on an elongated run, outscoring the Rangers, 11-2 over a three-minute spread to tie the game with 4:42 left. Senior Alan Garcia drew contact on the ensuing Jesuit possession, knocking down both free throws to hand the Rangers back the lead.
 
Pearce tied the game again with 2:13 left, but neither team scored over the next two minutes to break the tie. Drew Timme, a 6-foot-10-inch forward for J.J. Pearce, missed a layup which was rebounded by Palisch with 44 seconds left, and the Rangers were able to whittle the clock down to 10 seconds before attempting the game-winner. Jankovich drove from the top of the arc, down the right lane, and was fouled going up for the game-winning layup to earn the chance to give the Rangers the lead.
 
After Jankovich hit both free-throws to put Jesuit ahead, Palisch intercepted the inbounds pass to clinch the Jesuit victory.
 
The Rangers will return home for the first time since December 3, 2016 on Friday, when Jesuit hosts Lake Highlands for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Walsh Gymnasium.