Over Christmas Break, many Jesuit students took time relaxing and taking a break from all the stress of the school year. However, the Jesuit Varsity Basketball team under Coach Chris Hill, used this time to prepare and get better as the team headed into District Play.
Playing in six games (one district, one non-district and 4 tournament games, the Rangers impressed with a lot of big wins and tough fought games. Coach Hill wanted to work on “taking care of the ball and limiting [opposing teams] penetration.” These aspects of the game played a key part to their early success this season.
The first game of the break was against Cedar Hill, a perennial powerhouse and a top ranked team in the state. The Rangers struggled sticking to their game plan and allowed Cedar Hill to take control. Sophomore Dixon Smith said, “It’s tough facing such a strong team like Cedar Hill and getting down. Once they got the momentum, it was tough to control the game and finish out.” The Rangers suffered a 78-59 loss to the Longhorns.
Heading into the Allen Tournament, Coach Hill wanted the players “to pay attention to what the opponents were trying to do and make adjustments during the game.” He allowed them to prove to themselves they could get the job done. He said, “[the team] had been playing too tight and I wanted to use the tournament to get the players to loosen up.”
Game 1 – Highland Park: A rematch of a previous game in the year, the Rangers were out for revenge after losing the previous matchup 60-53. The key difference this time was the addition of Michael McReynolds ’15. A returning starter, and key difference maker for the team, McReynolds was out for the first matchup with an injury. This time McReynolds helped the team by leading the way with a huge game, dropping 22 points with 13 boards. The Rangers easily handled the Scots 70-47.
Game 2 – Galena Park North Shore: Truly the game of the year so far for the Rangers, they went up against the defending State Champs and took them down. A David versus Goliath matchup ended with Jesuit on top, 69-63. After overcoming a 16 point deficit halfway through the third quarter, Jesuit fought back for the victory. Coach Hill called the game an “incredible team win,” and he pointed out Senior Hank Shotland who he said, “Played one of the best games of his career, he had 14 points and 5 assists but those stats don’t do justice to how well he played.” The three pointers from the Rangers aided to the win with big buckets from Shotland ’15, Tyler Schlapkohl ’15, Peter Lynch ’15, Tom Weber ’15, Ben Kunasek ’16, and McReynolds. Shotland described the game, “We knew we had what it took to get the job done and we used this mentality to fuel the fire as we clawed to get back in the game. We worked together and got the job done.”
Game 3 – Frisco Lone Star: A win sending them to the championship, Jesuit went into this game just six hours after knocking off Galena North Park Shore. A hard fought game ended with the Rangers losing their first game of the tournament by a score of 53-45. McReynolds stood out with 20 points and 7 rebounds, but a tough game all around for a worn out Rangers team.
Game 4 – Allen: Facing a home crowd of the hosts of the tournament, the Rangers attempted to win the third place game and end with a high note for the tournament. A tired and beat up Rangers team struggled against the Eagles. Never settling in offensively caused havoc for the Rangers. They struggled to put points on the board and lost 54 – 39. Peter Lynch ’15 said, “We were down after dropping the game to Lone Star which is a game we definitely would have liked to have back. We didn’t end the tournament how we wanted, but the season is still young, and you can still count on big things from this team.”
Right after the New Year, the Rangers faced district opponent, Irving. The Rangers were well prepared for this District game and wanted to send a message for other District opponents. Everyone who went in the game had great success and the Rangers had an impressive team performance, winning 62-30. Dixon Smith ’17 explained, “it was fun to have such a big win, and I think it was good for the team to click on all cylinders.”
The Rangers seem to be coming together at the right time, and every indication points to a strong showing in district play. Do not be surprised to see the Rangers atop District 9-6A at the end of the season. Hank Shotland puts it as simple as this, “Expect Big Things!”
