Behind timely shooting and impeccable defense, the Jesuit Dallas basketball squad kept its season intact with a 70-64, University Interscholastic League (UIL) Area Round win over The Woodlands on Friday evening at College Station High School.

Trailing the Highlanders heading into the fourth, Jesuit responded by outscoring The Woodlands, 27-19, in the final quarter to earn a trip to the UIL 6A Regional Quarterfinal against Rockwall, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Berkner High School.
 
Four Rangers scored in double digits, led by 16 points from junior Michael Jankovich. Senior Mitch Prendergast followed with 13 points, third year Marcus Hill tacked on 12 and senior Jeff Grimes added 10 points alongside a team-high six rebounds. Prendergast led the team in assists with three helpers on the night. Jesuit (22-10) only led for nine of the 48 minutes during Friday's game, a wild affair which featured three ties and nine lead changes.
 
An overwhelmingly efficient offensive performance propelled Jesuit into the UIL 6A Regional Quarterfinal round for the first time in four seasons, shooting 56.8 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from three-point range. However, the game-breaking numbers came from Jesuit's ability to get to the free-throw line, as the Rangers converted 20-of-29 free throws while adding 26 points in the paint. By comparison, The Woodlands shot 42.6 from the floor and 30 percent from behind the arc.
 
The Woodlands (22-11) went 6-of-9 from the floor to start the game, taking a 17-9 lead into the second quarter. However, two three-pointers from Jankovich and a three from Grimes gave the Rangers their first lead of the contest with 7:07 remaining in the half. The Woodlands took the lead right back, building a six-point advantage before the halftime buzzer sounded.
 
Jesuit yielded four unanswered to begin the second half, but began to secure momentum over the next five minutes. A 13-5 Ranger run put Jesuit up, 38-37, at the 2:35 mark of the third, but the Highlanders ended the quarter on an 8-5 run to take a two-point lead into the fourth.
 
In the fourth, the Rangers took the lead for good, starting the quarter with a 10-0 run which included three-pointers from Prendergast and Hatzmann, a layup from senior Alan Garcia and two free throws from Hill. The Woodlands took a final run at the Rangers' four-possession lead, whittling the Jesuit advantage down to one point on four occasions.
 
The Rangers shot 7-of-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch, holding the Highlanders without a three-point basket over the final 5:12 of the fourth while defensively holding The Woodlands to 2-of-5 shooting over the final 2:04 to secure the victory.
 
Matchup Notes

• With the win, the Rangers will advance to the third UIL 6A Regional Quarterfinal game in program history, following appearances in the 2009-10 and 2012-13 campaigns.
• Jesuit will meet a Yellow Jacket team that defeated South Garland, 61-60 in triple overtime, on Friday at Berkner High School.
• The two programs have not clashed in over 10 years, their last meeting taking place on Dec. 2, 2006, a matchup won by Rockwall, 58-56.
• The Rangers are 2-0 at Berkner H.S. this season, defeating Berkner, 68-60 on Jan. 13 before upending Rowlett, 65-61, in the UIL Bi-District Round on Feb. 21.