Trailing by 14 points with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter, the third-ranked Jesuit Dallas basketball team staged a determined rally but fell one three-pointer short in a 65-62 setback to No. 6-5A San Antonio Wagner on Thursday in the opening round of the 61st Annual Whataburger Tournament. Jesuit will play against Arlington Martin at 5 p.m. on Friday in the consolation bracket.
 
Senior Anthony Hollerich led the charge for the Blue and Gold, scoring 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting and an 8-for-9 clip from the free-throw line. Max Abmas tacked on 17 points, burying a trio of three-pointers while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor. Senior Julius Marble added 14 points and a team-leading eight rebounds, tacking on three assists. The Rangers (14-2) were plagued by 11 turnovers, which San Antonio Wagner was able to convert to 19 points while out-scoring the Blue and Gold, 30-20.
 
San Antonio Wagner leapt out to a 12-4 lead midway through the opening quarter and maintained the three-possession lead for a majority of the opening stanza, taking a 20-14 lead into the second. A 7-3 run by Jesuit in the second quarter sliced the Thunderbird lead to two points with 3:58 left in the second, but Wagner responded with an 8-0 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game with 1:53 left in the half.
 
Hollerich converted four free-throws over the final 90 seconds of the first half to keep the Rangers within striking distance with a six-point halftime deficit. Wagner continued to mount the pressure on the Rangers, scoring the first eight points of the second half to take a 43-29 advantage.
 
Jesuit responded with a critical, 18-5 run to cut the lead to one point with 2:12 left in the quarter. Much of Jesuit's third-quarter success came from the free-throw line, where the Blue and Gold earned seven trips to the charity stripe and converted 10-of-14 shots. Abmas punctuated the fourth quarter with a three-quarter court shot which ripped through the net to send the Rangers into the fourth quarter trailing by three.
 
Marble threw down a dunk to open the fourth as the Rangers cut the lead back to a single point, however, Jesuit was held scoreless over the next four minutes, allowing Wanger the opportunity to build a seven-point lead with 3:45 remaining. Jesuit cut the Wagner lead to a single point on two occasions over the final two minutes but were unable to tie the game or gain the lead prior to the final buzzer.
 
Jesuit will take on a Martin team which lost to Waxahachie, 66-50, on Thursday evening. The Rangers will face either Trinity or J.J. Pearce in the third round of the tournament, which will take place at either 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. depending on Friday's result. Friday's game will be live-streamed on JesuitRangers.org.