Rangers Rally Again to Reach Third Round
Only three days after ending its recent first-round playoff struggles, Jesuit has cleared its second-round hurdle, as well.
The Rangers staged another second-half comeback in a 70-64 victory over The Woodlands on Friday in a Class 6A Region II area round game.
Jesuit (22-10) will next face Rockwall (22-10) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Richardson Berkner. That’s the same site where the Rangers knocked off Rowlett in the bi-district round, and also where the Yellowjackets ousted South Garland in triple-overtime on Friday.
Jesuit trailed by six points at halftime against the Highlanders, which might have seemed like a cakewalk compared to the 12-point deficit the Rangers faced at the break against Rowlett.
At any rate, Michael Jankovich paced a balanced attack for Jesuit with 16 points, while Mitch Prendergast added 13 and Marcus Hill had 12. Jeff Grimes contributed 10 points off the bench.
Romello Wilbert poured in a game-high 24 points for The Woodlands (22-11), which won the District 12-6A title during the regular season.
Rockwall’s dramatic win over South Garland ended on a buzzer-beating layup by Cameron Crayton. After winning the District 11-6A regular-season crown under first-year head coach Quincy Williams, the Yellowjackets have scored a pair of postseason victories by a combined four points.
The Rangers are making their first appearance in the regional quarterfinals since 2013, when they were eliminated by eventual state semifinalist Berkner.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will face either Spring Westfield or unbeaten Klein Forest in the regional semifinals on Friday at Ellis Davis Field House.
