An electric, standing room only crowd fueled Jesuit to a hard-fought, 57-53 win over Plano East on Friday at Walsh Gymnasium. The Rangers were able to repel the Panthers' upset bid behind 28 points from senior Max Abmas and a resilient defense which held Plano East to 39.3 percent from the field while forcing 10 turnovers.
 
Abmas finished the contest 7-of-18 from the floor, hitting five three-pointers alongside a 9-for-10 clip from the free-throw line. Senior Julius Marble made his return to the court on Friday, scoring nine points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking two shots while recording a team-leading three assists. Junior Darryl Brown added seven points and five boards while classmate Eli Steger snagged four rebounds. Jesuit shot 44.7 percent from the floor as a team but finished the game shooting 13-of-19 from the free-throw line in the second half.
 
Both teams struggled from the field to open the contest, taking a 10-8 lead after the first quarter. The Rangers opened the second quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining in the half. Plano East used a traditional three-point play and a layup to send the contest into halftime with Jesuit holding a 22-17 advantage.
 
A thunderous dunk by Marble opened the second half, allowing the Rangers to regain a 10-point lead with 5:01 left in the quarter. Plano East tied the contest with a 12-2 run, holding Jesuit without a three-pointer and a 1-for-6 clip from the field over a span of 3:21 while converting a trio of three pointers and a traditional three-point play. Abmas scored at the buzzer to give Jesuit a 40-38 lead going into the fourth quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, the two teams continued to battle before a three-pointer by Abmas at the 5:42 mark sparked the Rangers to a 13-6, game-ending run. Jesuit converted 5-of-8 free throws over the final six minutes, forcing three Plano East turnovers while holding the Panthers to a 2-for-7 clip from the field.
 
The Rangers will return to action on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., as the Blue and Gold will travel to Plano, Texas to battle the Plano West Wolves. Jesuit will return to Walsh Gym on Friday against McKinney Boyd.