Jesuit opened the 2010-2011 basketball season with a 63-58 win Tuesday night over the Mesquite Skeeters at home.
“It was good for the first game of the season and I liked the pace we played at, but we need to get better at executing our plays and working hard on the defensive side of the ball,” said injured senior point guard Brian Wetzel. The Rangers were down 4 going into the locker rooms at half time after a wild, over the backboard, buzzer beater shot by Mesquite. However, an impressive third quarter gave the Rangers a solid lead that lasted well into the fourth quarter. With 2 minutes left, David Lacey slammed home what seemed to be the clinching basket, getting the student section full of “Ranger Rowdies” all fired up with the Rangers up 60 to 52. However, an impressive shooting display from the Skeeters and a couple of costly turnovers by Jesuit led to a 6-0 run in the next minute. With only 30 or so seconds left, Mesquite had to foul, sending senior forward Stephen Olsen to the line. He went 1 for 2 to put the Rangers up by 3. A miss by Mesquite and defensive rebound by the Rangers on the ensuing possession were followed by Olsen heading back to the line, hitting both this time with 7 seconds left to seal the deal. Junior post David Lacey led the way for the Rangers with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Junior post Reid Leinbaugh chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds of his own, while the up and coming sophomore Steven Spieth added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Senior guard Blaine Simmons said, “It was a good start to the season, especially with the team not having played together for very long yet.” When asked what he thought of the game, Coach Chris Hill agreed with Blaine: “I thought it was a good place to start for our first game.” Hill also noted: “Now we need to get to work for the tough non-district schedule that’s ahead, but I have high expectations for this team.” It was an exciting win to start the season and the fans are looking forward to many more to come.
