Coming off of a nail-biting Bi-District round loss to a talented Arlington Martin team that made it far in the UIL playoffs last winter, Jesuit looked to kick this season off on a high note during non-district play and grow as a team. With a promising 2-1 start in non district games, the Rangers have been able to execute well on offense and defense, score at all three levels, move the ball well, and efficiently scoring the ball at will. The Rangers look ahead to the Coppell Tournament, playing two games both Thursday and Friday from Thursday-Saturday most likely against teams like Byron Nelson, L.D. Bell, Coppell, and Tyler Legacy.
Tai Kryger from the corner. Photo taken by Jaxx Rigelsky ’24.
Prosper Rock Hill:
On November 11th, Jesuit kicked off their season at Lewisville High School against Prosper Rock Hill. Due to the flu and other illnesses, some Ranger players were missing from this game, but the Rangers Senior guard Tai Kryger ’23 led the way for the Rangers shooting 5-9 from the field and 50 percent from three, 4 assists, and also grabbing 6 rebounds. Right behind him was, sophomore Caleb Steger, in his first varsity game, scoring 7 points, a team high of 2 steals, and 2 rebounds. Dylan Gibbons scored 6 points, leading the Rangers with 5 assists that night, and 4 rebounds.
Rock Hill shot roughly 60 percent from the field, and 40 percent from three, able to knock down shots when their name was called. Additionally, one struggle in this game was Jesuit’s trouble with turnovers, which Rock Hill capitalizing by scoring 22 points off of Jesuit’s turnover points. However, Jesuit had a game the next day to look ahead to against Frisco Heritage, and get back to even. The Rangers came up short to a talented, very athletic, Rock Hill Team falling 74-51.
Frisco Heritage
Just a day later on the 12th at 2 in the afternoon, Jesuit went up against Frisco Heritage Coyotes at South Oak Cliff High School. Jesuit was down early in the first quarter, but managed by half time to be up by 7 points. 30-23 Jesuit. Then, Jesuit went on a large run making it 51-35 at the end of the third. And won the game 67-61. However, even though Jesuit gave up 22 turnover points to the Coyotes, they still managed to shoot the ball at a high clip. Jesuit had the advantage off the glass with 44-38 rebounds.
Caleb Steger ’25 and Charlie Needham ’23 led the team in carrear high scores of 23 points. Both Steger and Needham shot 5-9 from 3 point land, and both shot the ball over 50 percent. Steger also had 8 rebounds, a block, and a steal. Additionally, Needham had 4 rebounds to cap things off. Senior Tai Kryger ’23 had a stellar double double performance, with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Rangers. Also, Dylan Gibbons led the team in assists with 8 with his playmaking abilities. The Rangers captizlized on offense leading Frisco Heritage in field goal percentage and 3 point percentage the entire game.
Dylan Gibbons taking the ball up the court. Photo taken by Jaxx Rigelsky ’24.
Mesquite
On Tuesday, November 15th Jesuit took on the Mesquite Skeeters for their first home opener of the season at Walsh Gym. Jesuit’s defensive intensity, agressiveness, and effort was outstanding limiting Mesquite to only 37 points. Jesuit also went on a 22-5 run in the third quarter, which sealed a victory for the Rangers. Offensively, they moved the ball well and found the open man, and rebounded the ball at a high level with a 30-18 difference. Jesuit scored half their points off turnovers, and also had 32 paint points, which propeled them to win 60-37.
Jesuit forced 25 turnovers, along with an outstanding defensive effort against the three ball limiting the Skeeters to 26 percent from long range. Jesuit also had three players with double digit scores. Caleb Steger led the Rangers in scoring with 15 points and 4 rebounds. Both Will Bronson ’24 and Tai Kryger ’23 scored 11 points a piece with 2 rebounds and a steal. Charlie Needham had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Will Bronson ’24 looking to block defender’s shot. Photo taken by Jaxx Rigelsky ’24.
Stay tuned to the Roundup for more Jesuit basketball coverage!
