The Rangers erupted for an 8-0 lead out of the gate and never looked back in a dominant, 73-34 win over Berkner on Friday at Walsh Gym. Jesuit used a 49-21 rebounding advantage and 13 three-pointers to move into a tie for first place in University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A.
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Four Rangers racked up double-digit performances, led by 18 points from junior
Max Abmas. The sharp-shooting junior currently averages a team-leading 16 points per game and has hit the double-digit mark in eight of his last 10 games. Senior
Michael Jankovich added 15 points on five three-pointers while classmate
Joey Preboy tacked on 13 points while dragging down six rebounds. Junior
Anthony Hollerich scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.
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Abmas additionally posted a squad-leading eight rebounds while senior
Reid Hatzmann added a team-leading four assists. Abmas and senior
Keagan Nwosu blocked one shot each while Abmas and senior
Matt Walsh additionally secured steals. Defensively, Jesuit forced 10 turnovers and held the Rams to 31.8 percent from the floor, 10.5 percent from three-point range while being aided by Berkner's 4-for-15 night from the charity stripe.
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How it Happened
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- A converted jumper by Abmas was the lone bucket for either team during the first three minutes of the contest. Both teams struggled from the floor as Jesuit opened the contest 1-of-7 while Berkner did not hit a basket on its first eight attempts.
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- Jankovich buried a three-pointer to spot the Rangers an eight-point lead to open the game. The senior's three-pointer jump-started a 20-4 run that saw Jesuit turn red-hot from outside the arc, hitting 6-of-7 threes during that span to take a convincing, 25-4 lead going into the second quarter.
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- With the large lead intact, Jesuit held Berkner to 3-of-7 from the floor in the second quarter to take a 24-point lead into the break. The Rangers put the game away by out-scoring the Rams by 22 points in the third quarter, holding a lead of 35 points or more for the remainder of the contest.
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Inside the Box Score
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- Friday's win marks the 10th time this season that Jesuit has crossed the 70-point plateau, with Friday's decision seeing the Rangers post their highest total against a district opponent this season. Jesuit is 10-0 when scoring 70 points or more, including a season-high 87 points against Sulphur Springs on Dec. 30.
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- Jesuit's 28-rebound advantage is the second highest total this season, falling one shy of a 46-17 advantage on the glass against Wylie East on Dec. 28. Through 22 games this season Jesuit Dallas has procured an average rebounding advantage of 6.8 boards per game while securing 32.4 rebounds on average as a team.
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- The Rangers are 9-1 in their last 10 games at Walsh Gymnasium and are 4-0 on the road.
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Up Next
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Jesuit Dallas faces an important week against two teams in the district with playoff aspirations. The Rangers will welcome the third-place Richardson Eagles on Tuesday at Walsh Gymnasium for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off before traveling to Skyline to face the reigning district champions on Friday evening.
