Anchored by a trio of double-digit scorers, the No. 16 Jesuit Dallas basketball squad withstood a late charge by Lee (Ala.) in a 68-60 victory in a Duncanville Thanksgiving Hoopfest matchup on Friday afternoon at Sandra Meadows Arena. Jesuit improves its season-opening winning streak to four games with the victory with a four-game slate set for next week.
Â
Senior
Marcus Hill scored 17 points for the Rangers, shooting 6-of-17 from the floor and burying four shots from behind the arc. Classmate
Michael Jankovich added a season-high 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, part of a Ranger effort that converted 75 percent of their attempts from the free-throw line.
Â
In addition, senior
Reid Hatzmann and junior
Julius Marble scored 11 points apiece while leading Jesuit in other offensive categories. Hatzmann added a team-high seven assists while Marble tacked on seven boards, including four on the offensive end. The Rangers shot 43.4 percent from the floor while hitting 10 three-pointers as a team, out-rebounding Lee, 68-60 and scoring 17 points off of nine General turnovers.
Â
How it Happened
- After allowing the game-opening bucket, Jesuit Dallas used a 10-point swing to take a seven-point lead halfway through the opening quarter.
Â
- The Rangers would develop a double-digit lead early in the second, winning the quarter 21-14 to take a 38-22 lead into the halftime break. Jesuit went 5-of-10 from three-point range in the second quarter, led by nine points from Jankovich, additionally causing three Lee turnovers to help build the 16-point halftime lead.
Â
- Hill buried a three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining in the second to spark an 8-0 run between the conclusion of the second and beginning of the third to hand Jesuit a 21-point advantage.
Â
- The Generals grabbed momentum out of halftime with a 16-1 run midway through the third quarter that reduced the Jesuit Dallas lead to six points. A three-pointer from senior Chris Horton and a Marble layup returned the lead to 11, but Lee shot 8-of-14 from the field while only turning the ball over once to enter the fourth quarter trailing by nine points.
Â
- Lee pieced together another impressive run at the Jesuit Dallas lead in the fourth quarter, but Jesuit converted 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to keep the Generals at bay. Hatzmann went 6-of-6 in the final 90 seconds of the game from the free-throw line to help the Rangers secure the win.
Â
Inside the Numbers
- The Rangers limited Lee to eight second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. Marble and Hatzmann dragged down a team-high seven rebounds apiece while Jankovich and Hill brought down six boards each.
Â
- Senior Keagan Nwosu logged four boards, three assists and a block while senior Joey Preboy dragged down five rebounds with four points.
Â
- Jesuit held the lead for 93.4 percent of the game, never trailing after the game-opening basket by the Generals. The Rangers held a game-high, 21-point lead after a Hill three-pointer with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Up Next
Â
Jesuit Dallas will hit the road on Tuesday, Nov. 28 to battle Plano East before returning to Walsh Gymnasium for the 55th annual Bob Stras Knights of Columbus Tournament. Set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 30, Jesuit Dallas will open the tournament at 7:30 p.m. against San Antonio Memorial.
