Fueled by a pair of stellar offensive performances, Jesuit Dallas clinched one of the top two seeds in University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A after a dominant, 80-57 win over Richardson on Friday evening at Richardson High School. Seniors
Michael Jankovich and
Marcus Hill posted 30 and 27-point performances, respectively, to anchor a sharp-shooting a Ranger team that enters the final week of the regular season on a four-game winning streak.
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Jesuit Dallas (25-5, 10-3) shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 60.9 percent from behind the arc in the victory, closing the second half 9-of-13 from three-point range. Senior
Reid Hatzmann dominated the Eagles' defense with nine points, seven assists, two blocks and three assists, shooting 3-of-3 from the floor while dragging down seven boards to conclude an impressive night.
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Junior
Max Abmas knocked down three shots for seven points, followed by a six-point, two-rebound outing by senior
Joey Preboy. The Rangers scored 26 points in the third quarter to put the contest away and will enter Tuesday's regular season finale with a chance to clinch a share of the District 9-6A championship with a win against Skyline combined with a J.J. Pearce loss to Berkner.
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How it Happened
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- Both teams shot 50 percent or higher in the first quarter as Jesuit used a six-point run, sparked by a traditional three-point play from Jankovich, to take a 16-12 lead into the second.
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- The Rangers opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run, hitting 6-of-8 shots including a trio of three-pointers to take a 14-point lead with 3:54 remaining in the half. Richardson would open the third quarter on a six-point run but would never return the deficit to single digits against the vaunted Ranger offense.
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- Jesuit Dallas erupted in the second half with six three-pointers while the Eagles cooled off from behind the arc, missing all eight three-point attempts. The Rangers used the drought to take a 63-41lead into the final quarter of regulation.
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- The defensive dominance would continue in the fourth quarter as Jesuit held Richardson to a 4-of-11 clip from the field while shooting 3-of-3 from range to keep the lead at 20 points or more until the final buzzer.
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Inside the Box Score
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- Friday marks Jankovich's second 30-point performance of the season. The senior scored 30 points for the Blue and Gold in a win over Sulphur Springs on Dec. 30. Hill's 27-point outing Is his highest scoring output of the season, besting his 25-point performance against Rockwall Heath on Dec. 28.
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- Jesuit's 60.9 three-point shooting percentage is the team's highest total this year while the squad's 55.8 percent field goal percentage is the third-highest shooting performance this year. The Rangers have eclipsed the 75-point mark 10 times this season but have only hit the mark twice in district play; in Tuesday's victory over Berkner and Friday's convincing win over the Eagles.
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- With the win on Friday, Jesuit will improve its playoff streak to 10 consecutive seasons. The Rangers have secured seven top-two district finishes while under the leadership of head coach Chris Hill, while the team's 25 wins is two shy of the program record under the leadership of Hill, who began his Jesuit Dallas career in 2008.
