A frantic second-half comeback propelled Jesuit to a 63-60, season-opening win over state-ranked No. 17 DeSoto on Friday at the Cowtown Classic in North Crowley, Texas. The Rangers trailed by nine points at the half but outscored the Eagles, 27-14 in the fourth quarter to secure their first victory of the season.
 
Junior Julius Marble led the charge with a double-double, scoring a team-leading 21 points while dragging down 12 rebounds. Senior Max Abmas added 16 points while sophomore Gavin Perryman shot 5-of-8 from the floor and scored 12 points in his varsity debut. Junior Darryl Brown recorded six rebounds while senior Connor Wilson logged two steals. Senior Anthony Hollerich contributed six points and five rebounds while senior John Phillips and junior Eli Steger recorded one bucket apiece.
 
Jesuit Dallas (1-0) shot 40 percent from the floor and 37.5 from three-point range during a chaotic contest which saw seven ties and 14 lead changes. The Rangers scored 12 points off of 12 DeSoto turnovers and only led for 28.2 percent of the game, including the final, dramatic seconds which completed the comeback.
 
Hollerich scored Jesuit's first points of the season to spot the Rangers an early, 2-0 lead in the first quarter, and the Blue and Gold built a four-point lead with 6:26 remaining in the quarter. The two squads battled and traded leads before a quarter-ending, four-point swing by the Eagles gave DeSoto a 17-15 lead going into the second quarter.
 
After Perryman opened the second with a conventional three-point play, DeSoto took a five-point lead with 5:47 remaining in the half. A layup by Steger snapped the Eagle run, but DeSoto increased its lead to eight points with 3:09 left in the quarter. A three-pointer with 51 seconds left provided DeSoto with the first double-digit lead for either team, but Hollerich scored a layup with eight seconds left to send Jesuit into the break trailing, 32-23.
 
DeSoto opened the third on a 6-1 run to increase the lead to 14 points and led, 42-26, with 4:55 remaining in the contest. During the Eagles' 10-3 run, DeSoto held Jesuit to 1-for-3 from the floor and 0-for-2 from three-point range.
 
A put-back dunk by Marble jump-started the Jesuit rally, sparking a 10-4 run to get the Rangers back into the contest. Marble scored six points over the five-minute run while the Ranger defense locked down on the Eagles, holding DeSoto to 1-of-6 from the floor while forcing three turnovers to send the Blue and Gold into the fourth quarter trailing by 10 points.
 
Jesuit concluded a 25-8 second half run with a resounding start to the fourth as back-to-back three-pointers by Abmas and Marble closed the gap to four points. The Rangers tied the game with 5:50 remaining in the quarter after a pair of free-throws by Marble, then took their first lead of the game on a Abmas three-pointer 24 seconds later. Marble and Abmas combined for 23 points in the fourth quarter, as a layup from Abmas spotted Jesuit a two-point lead with 1:03 left.
 
DeSoto hit a go-ahead bucket with 31 seconds remaining, but a technical foul provided Jesuit the opportunity to retake the lead. Abmas buried both free-throws, then received another trip to the free-throw line on the ensuing inbound. Abmas converted both free throw attempts to give Jesuit a three-point lead as a last-ditch effort by DeSoto fell short.
 
Jesuit will hold its home debut on Tuesday, November 13 as the Rangers will welcome Mesquite to Walsh Gymnasium. Tip-off between the Rangers and Skeeters is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on JesuitRangers.org.