Sophomore Michael Jankovich sits in the corner, arms raised ready to receive a pass. Ben Kunasek ’16 dribbles up the floor, losing his man and zipping the ball to Michael. Without hesitation Jankovich takes the shot, draining the three in the eye of his poor defender. His deep threes throughout the game are enough to earn the Rangers another victory.
From December 10 to 12, Jesuit competed in the Chris Vontoure Spartan Classic in De La Salle California, finishing the tournament with a 2-1 record. Winning the first game against St. Vincent/St. Patrick 66-59, Michael Jankovich ’18 buried three three-pointers and totaled a team-high of 24 points. The team had a “good game,” according to Coach Chris Hill, and “St. Vincent/St. Patrick was a very good team.” Ben Kunasek added, “It was a solid win. We played well together as a team and St. Vincent/St. Patrick was not an easy team to overcome.”
In the second game, they faced off against Serra High School and were defeated 49-66. Although they were a “good team,” the Rangers “didn’t play very well,” commented Coach Hill. Team veteran Rusty Landon ’16 distinguished himself in this game, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Jeff Grimes also made his season debut after coming off a long ankle injury, contributing a steal and two points. Grimes commented, “It was great to get back in the game. Although the loss was disappointing, I knew we can bounce back for the third game.”
The Rangers succeeded in bouncing back for the third game against Clayton Valley Charter High School, dismantling their opponent 71-58. Jacob Palisch ‘17 led the team in scoring with his season high of 15 points. Mitch Prendergast ’17 closely followed Palisch with 11 points of his own.
Michael Jankovich and Ben Kunasek were both named all-tournament players. Jankovich commented, “It was an honor to be named and I look forward to future tournaments with this team.” Regarding his award, Kunasek also added, “It was great to be recognized as all-tournament, but there were many players on our team that played very well and could very well have been named.”
Although they did compete in the tournament, the trip did not solely focus on basketball. Prendergast emphasized that the trip was very “fun,” as the day they arrived they toured San Francisco on a ferry, seeing sites such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Also, because they were in California a week before the tournament ended, they had mandatory study halls to prevent falling behind on their school work.
The Rangers’ record is currently 10-5.
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