Jesuit Dallas will begin its University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A Tournament run on Tuesday when the Blue and Gold travel to Garland, Texas for a 7:30 p.m. bi-district matchup against Lakeview Centennial. Jesuit comes into the contest on a five-game winning streak after clinching the second seed in UIL District 9-6A while the Patriots closed the district 10-6A slate with a 7-5 mark to finish in third. The two teams will meet at Naaman Forest High School for the right to advance to the UIL Area Round.
 
Rangers Topple Raiders to Close Regular Season
Jesuit closed the regular season with a surge of well-earned victories to earn favorable playoff positioning, capped by a 53-45 win over Skyline on Feb. 13. The Rangers swept the season series from the Raiders after dropping the previous four matchups, fueled by a senior contingent that scored 38 of the team's 53 points.
 
Jesuit Peaking at Proper Time
Over the last five games, Jesuit has averaged 64 points per game while allowing 45 points to opponents, shooting 48.3 percent as a team from the floor and 45.4 from three-point range. Out-rebounding opponents by an average of nine boards per game during that stretch, The Rangers have done most of their damage in the first quarter, outscoring foes 17-9 in the opening stanza. The team has shot 45.4 percent from three-point range over the last five games while dominating opponents on the perimeter, resulting in a 23.4 opponent three-point shooting percentage.
 
Stellar Seniors Leading Late Season Charge
Since the Rangers' Jan. 30 win over Lake Highlands, three members of the Blue and Gold have averaged double-digit outing, including a pair of sharp-shooting seniors. Air Force commit Marcus Hill has averaged 15.8 points and 4.2 boards over the Rangers' regular season-closing run, hitting 52.9 percent of his three-point attempts. Classmate Michael Jankovich follows close behind with 13.4 points per game while the forward tandem of Joey Preboy and Keagan Nwosu combine for 12 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Senior Reid Hatzmann closed the regular season with 21 assists over the last five games.
 
Scouting Lakeview Centennial
The Patriots closed the season on a 3-2 mark, including a 54-43 win over Sachse to close the regular season. In Lakeview Centennial's win over the Mustangs, Nicolas René scored a team-leading 19 points, followed by 12 points from Kameron James.
 
Up Next
The winner of Tuesday's game will face either College Park or North Mesquite on Friday, Feb. 23 in the UIL Area Round.