Jesuit turned a 12-point halftime deficit into an eight-point lead with a tremendous, 24-4 run in the second quarter, which proved to be the difference maker in a 65-61, Jesuit Dallas victory over Rowlett in the squad's University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A Bi-District Round bout on Tuesday at Berkner High School.

Junior Marcus Hill scored 18 points, falling two rebounds shy of a double-double while leading the team in boards. Senior Mitch Prendergast added 17 points and seven rebounds, while junior Keagan Nwosu also brought down seven boards, including six on the defensive end. In total, four Rangers scored in double digits, as Hill and Prendergast were joined by 14 points from senior Alan Garcia and 10 points from junior Reid Hatzmann.
 
The Rangers (21-10) out-rebounded Rowlett (21-7), 39-31, out-scoring the Eagles, 32-22, in the paint. Jesuit shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half and finished the contest 21-of-26 from free-throw line. Finishing the game with 11 offensive rebounds, the Rangers tacked on 19 second chance points, out-scoring the Eagles, 44-28 in the second half.
 
Rowlett scored eight unanswered points to start the bout before Jesuit sliced the lead to two with a 6-2 run of its own. Entering the second quarter, the Eagles built a double-digit advantage with a 14-5 run sparked by 6-of-10 shooting, leading, 26-13, with 5:02 remaining in the half. The Rangers were held to only three field goal attempts over the final 4:30 of the second quarter, propelling Rowlett into the break up, 33-21.
 
The game-breaking run began with five free-throws, converted by Garcia and Hill. Hatzmann then buried a three-pointer with 5:03 left in the third to cap an early quarter run of eight unanswered points to limit the Rowlett lead to two possessions The Eagles were held to 0-for-3 from the floor with two turnovers over the first 3:30 of the third quarter, hitting their first field goal with 4:24 remaining in the quarter.  
 
Back-to-back layups by Prendergast and a bucket by Garcia tied the game at 35-35. Hill followed with a layup and a three-pointer to give Jesuit its first lead of the game with 1:50 remaining in the quarter, capping a 19-2 run that vaulted the Blue and Gold to a two-possession lead. Overall, the Rangers would win the third quarter, 24-4, entering the fourth with a 45-37 lead.
 
One final, 8-2 run in the fourth gave Jesuit a game-high, 14-point lead with 5:17 remaining. Rowlett took one final run at the Ranger lead with a 13-4 run, but Jesuit shot 6-of-7 from the charity stripe down the stretch to hold off the Eagles.

Jesuit will advance to face The Woodlands in the UIL 6A Area Round on Friday, Feb. 23. The Rangers and Highlanders will face off on Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at College Station High School.