A fourth-quarter comeback and resounding defensive effort helped the Ranger complete a 4-0 record at the Lone Star Classic on Tuesday, November 20 in Frisco, Texas. Jesuit scored a 49-43 victory against Frisco Liberty before upending OKC Storm, 57-32 in the tournament closer.
 
Jesuit Dallas 49, Liberty 43
 
The Rangers entered the fourth quarter trailing Liberty, 34-33, but a seven-point advantage in the fourth quarter propelled the Blue and Gold to a narrow, six-point victory. Senior Julius Marble sparked the Rangers in the victory with a double-double, scoring 17 points while dragging down 10 rebounds.
 
Senior Max Abmas hit four three-pointers to rack up 14 points, additionally leading the Rangers with three assists. Sophomore Gavin Perryman scored seven points and blocked two shots while senior John Phillips knocked down a trio of critical three-pointers in the second half.  The Rangers shot 42.1 percent in the second half and, despite being out-rebounded 25-24, scored nine second chance points on nine offensive rebounds.
 
The two squads battled in the first quarter as the Rangers took a two-point lead with 1:31 remaining before a traditional three-point play from Liberty sent the Redhawks into the second with a one-point lead. Jesuit took the lead back with 5:55 remaining in the half off of a three-pointer from Perryman. However, Perryman's three-pointer was the last basket that the Rangers would score in the half as Liberty's bucket with four minutes remaining sent the Redhawks into halftime with a three-point lead.
 
Liberty raced out to a seven-point lead in the third quarter before the Rangers struck back with an 8-0 lead to take a two-point advantage with 3:41 remaining in the quarter. However, the Liberty defense stood tall once again, holding Jesuit without a bucket for the remainder of the quarter to enter the fourth with a one-point lead.
 
The Jesuit rally began with 6:21 remaining in the quarter and the Rangers trailing by five points. A fast break layup from Perryman and bucket from Marble brought the lead to one possession before a three-pointer by Phillips tied the contest at 40-40. A Perryman block turned into another huge three-pointer for Phillips, giving the Rangers the lead with 2:11 left in the fourth. Jesuit closed the bout going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line over the final 40 seconds of the contest to clinch the victory.
 
Jesuit Dallas 57, OKC Storm 32
 
Racing out to a 16-4, first quarter lead, Jesuit clinched an undefeated run at the Lone Star Classic with a 57-32 win over OKC Storm. Jesuit held the Storm to under 30 percent from the floor and only allowed 14 points in the second half to close the tournament with its undefeated start to the season intact.
 
Senior Anthony Hollerich scored 19 points, Abmas tacked on 16 points and junior Darryl Brown scored seven to lead the Ranger scorers. Marble tacked on a team-leading 10 rebounds, joining Perryman with a team-leading three assists Phillips closed a strong day for the Blue and Gold with a pair of three-pointers, closing out the nightcap with six points.
 
The Rangers held the Storm without a point for the first 2:26 of the contest, building a 6-0 lead. OKC Storm only hit two field goals in the first quarter, finishing the stanza shooting 2-of-13 from the field and 0-for-7 from three-point territory. By comparison, Jesuit hit 7-of-13 shots and cruised to a 16-4 lead going into the second quarter.
 
Jesuit bolstered an 18-point lead with 3:46 remaining, but OKC Storm used a 10-0 run to cut the Ranger lead to eight points going into halftime. The Ranger defense once again held firm in the third, only allowing three field goals while returning the lead to 18 points at the beginning of the fourth. The Storm made one final push in the fourth and cut the lead to 12, but Jesuit ended the game on a resounding, 13-0 run, shutting OKC out in the final 6:01 of the game to secure the win.
 
Up Next
 
Jesuit will travel to Rockwall, Texas on Tuesday, Nov. 27 for a mid-week battle against Rockwall-Heath before returning to Walsh Gym for the 56th annual Knights of Columbus Bob Stras Classic on Thursday, Nov. 29.