Jesuit Dallas will continue its eyebrow-raising run in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Championship on Tuesday when the Rangers travel to Rowlett, Texas to face the Rockwall Heath Hawks in the UIL Region 2-6A Quarterfinals. The contest will be streamed live on JesuitRangers.org beginning at 7:15 p.m., with Evan Oscherwitz '18 and Jack Lynch '19 calling the action.
 
Rangers Topple Cavaliers
After shaking off an early deficit, Jesuit Dallas used another stellar shooting performance to upend College Park, 76-55 on Friday in Waco. Senior Marcus Hill hit 5-of-8 three-pointers to finish the contest with 21 points while junior Max Abmas went 7-of-13 from the floor to close the bout with 21 points. Senior Reid Hatzmann excelled once again as the Rangers' point guard, logging nine assists to push his weekly total to 19 helpers over the Rangers' two playoff games. Hill, Abmas, senior Michael Jankovich and senior Keagan Nwosu grabbed five rebounds apiece while Nwosu added a team-high three blocks. Jesuit Dallas (28-5) shot 56.5 percent as a team from the floor and 52.9 percent from three-point range, adding an 88.2 percent conversion rate from the free throw line. The Ranger defense contained the Cavaliers' three-point shooters, holding College park to 6-of-21 behind the arc.
 
Jesuit Dominating Postseason Opponents
The Rangers have outscored their two postseason opponents by 18.6 points per game while adding a stellar clip from behind the arc, acquiring a 47.1 three-point shooting percentage. Jankovich currently leads the Rangers with 19 points per game in the postseason, followed by 15.5 points from Abmas and 14 points from Hill. Nwosu and Jankovich have secured a team-leading six rebounds per game, and the Rangers have converted 83.3 percent of their free-throw attempts over the two-game span. Most of Jesuit's damage has come in the third quarter; heading into Tuesday's regional quarterfinal the Rangers have outscored opponents, 16.5-7.5 in the third quarter.
 
Scouting Rockwall Heath
Entering Tuesday's clash on a three-game winning streak and a 25-10 record, Heath upended UIL District 9-6A member Coppell, 63-34 on Friday after earning an 83-54 win over Oak Ridge in the bi-district round. Averaging 69.1 points per game, the Hawks have excelled from three-point range this season, hitting 430 three-pointers (430-1149, 37 percent), led by 107 made three-pointers from junior Drake Brown. Brown leads Heath with 12.9 points, followed by 11.9 points from senior Brent Clark, who also leads the team with 5.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
 
Last Time They Met…
The two teams met earlier this season in the second round of the In-and-Out Burger Allen Holiday Invitational, a contest won by Jesuit Dallas, 84-71 on Dec. 28. Jesuit and Heath combined for 66 three-point attempts in the last meeting, but Jesuit's 17 second chance points off of six offensive rebounds provided the difference in the contest. Abmas erupted for 31 points, hitting 7-of-10 shots from three-point range while going 12-of-18 from the floor. Hill filled up the stat sheet with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jesuit Dallas shot 51.7 percent from three and 61.8 percent from the floor while limiting the sharp-shooting Hawks to 35.1 percent from behind the arc.
 
Up Next
The winner of Tuesday's game will play Dekaney on March 2 in one of the two UIL Region 2-6A semifinal matchups. Dekaney defeated Klein Forest, 73-72, on Monday to punch its ticket to the state sweet 16. Tip-off for the regional semifinal game is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Ellis Davis Field House in South Dallas.