Behind 21 points from junior Michael Jankovich and 15 second chance points, Jesuit Dallas clinched its first University Interscholastic League (UIL) Region II Semifinal berth with a 69-46 triumph over Rockwall on Tuesday evening at Berkner High School. The Rangers advance to face Texas top-ranked and undefeated Klein Forest on Friday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.
 
Jankovich shot 7-of-18 from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers to record his fifth performance of 20 points or more this season. Fellow third year Marcus Hill added 16 points, knocking down 6-of-12 shots for his 10th straight double digit outing. Junior Reid Hatzmann shined on the court, logging nine assists, eight points, and six rebounds.
 
Senior Jeff Grimes dragged down a team-leading nine rebounds, while fellow fourth year Alan Garcia added eight points to the Jesuit effort. Junior Keagan Nwosu picked up six points, while senior Mitch Prendergast scored five points, adding five rebounds.
 
Jesuit (23-10) out-rebounded Rockwall (22-10), 38-30, dragging down 12 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second chance points. In addition, the Rangers added nine points off of 12 Rockwall turnovers, taking their first lead of the game at the 7:21 mark of the first quarter and holding the lead all the way to the final buzzer. The Rangers shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 14-of-18 from the free-throw line, holding Rockwall to 1-of-9 from behind the arc.
 
The Rangers started the game 6-of-8 from the floor to take a nine-point lead with 3:24 left in the first after a traditional three-pointer from Jankovich. Prendergast buried a three-pointer with seven seconds left in the opening quarter, sparking a 7-0 run that handed the Blue and Gold its first double-digit lead with 6:29 left in the half.
 
Both teams fought back and forth down the stretch of the second quarter before another late three-pointer, hit by Jankovich with six seconds left in the half, sent Jesuit into the break with a 37-24 lead. In the third quarter, both teams struggled from the field, but the Rangers were able to withstand a 4-of-12 performance from the floor by holding Rockwall to 3-of-11 shooting in the quarter to go into the fourth leading, 48-32.
 
A 6-0 run by Jesuit put the Rangers up by 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Rangers shot 7-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line down the stretch to pick up the victory. Tuesday's victory is the first win for the Rangers in the UIL Region II-6A Quarterfinal round on their third trip, and the team's 23 wins this season stands as the third-highest win total under the tutelage of head coach Chris Hill, two shy of the 25 wins recorded by the 2009-10 Jesuit Dallas basketball squad.
 
On Friday, the Rangers will face off against a Klein Forest team that is 33-0, ranked No. 1 in the state according to MaxPreps and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and 15th in the nation according to MaxPreps. The Eagles eliminated Westfield, 82-67, in their UIL Region II-6A Quarterfinal on Tuesday after upending Nimitz and Cedar Ridge in the first two rounds of the UIL 6A Basketball Tournament.