Jesuit Dallas scored 28 points in the paint as four double-digit scorers propelled the Rangers to a 58-42, district-opening win over Prosper on Friday at Walsh Gym. A stellar defensive effort in the second half helped the Rangers shake off an early, first quarter deficit as Jesuit, ranked fourth in the state according to the most recent Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Top 25 poll, moved to 14-1 on the year.
 
Senior Anthony Hollerich led the team in scoring, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor to finish the contest with 16 points. Classmate Max Abmas racked up 14 points, hitting four three-pointers while leading the team with five assists. Senior Julius Marble added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds, throwing down a trio of dunks which brought the fans inside of the packed Walsh Gymnasium to their feet. Sophomore Gavin Perryman contributed 10 points and six rebounds to the Ranger effort, junior Darryl Brown tacked on five points and four rebounds, and senior John Phillips contributed five rebounds.
 
Jesuit shot 63.6 (14-of-22) in the second half, moving inside the lanes after a potent Prosper perimeter defense held the Rangers to 4-of-13 from three-point range in the opening two quarters. The Ranger defense locked down on Prosper, holding the Eagles to 15-of-46 (32.6 percent) from the floor and a 27.3 percent clip (6-of-22) from three-point range. Jesuit out-rebounded Prosper, 34-22, forced six turnovers and added five second chance points on nine offensive boards.
 
Prosper opened the game hitting a trio of three-pointers to take an early, 9-2 lead. The Rangers struck back with an 11-0 to take a four-point lead with 2:43 remaining in the first, a lead which the Rangers would not relinquish. The Rangers took a three-point lead into the second quarter and watched as the Eagles began to cut into the lead. Jesuit would hold Prosper without a field goal over the final 2:51 of the first half to head into the break with a five-point, 26-21 lead.
 
A layup from Marble 90 seconds into the third quarter gave Jesuit an 11-point lead. The Rangers began to pull away from Prosper in the third, ending the quarter on an 8-2 run courtesy of an inbound dunk by Marble and back-to-back three-pointers from Abmas. In the fourth quarter, Jesuit kept Prosper at bay, holding the Eagles to only eight field goal attempts while Jesuit scored 14 points in the fourth to clinch the victory.
 
Jesuit will head into the holiday break before traveling to Haltom City, Texas for the 61^st Annual Whataburger Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Dec. 27-29 at W.G. Thomas Colliseum. The Rangers will open the tournament at 4 p.m. on Thursday against San Antonio Wagner and will either play at 11 a.m. or 5 p.m. against Arlington Martin or Waxahachie, depending on the result.
 
The tournament field includes a slew of state-ranked teams, including No. 1-6A Denton Guyer, No. 1-5A Mansfield Timberview, No. 2-6A J.J. Pearce and No. 4-5A Justin Northwest alongside the state-ranked Rangers. Thursday's contest will provided without commentary on JesuitRangers.org.