Early December usually sparks images of blankets of snow, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus. December in Texas has the same holiday spirit without the cold weather. However, it’s not truly December at Dallas Jesuit without the Jesuit varsity basketball squad hitting the hardwood twice a week for competitive UIL match-ups that include a fast-paced offense and stout defensive prowess.
One of the longest lasting December traditions at Jesuit is the Knights of Columbus tournament, a tournament held at Jesuit each year that welcomes some of the area’s best basketball programs. This year, in the 50th annual Knights of Columbus tournament, the Jesuit Rangers entered the tournament with an undefeated 5-0 record, an unblemished mark that they hoped to make 8-0 by the time the buzzer of the championship game sounded.
Jesuit v. Ennis
In their sixth game of the season and the first game of the Knights of Columbus tournament, the varsity Rangers played Ennis High School.
In a low-scoring defensive affair that saw the Rangers keeping Ennis from double-digit scoring in both the first and fourth quarters, the Rangers thwarted Ennis 55-35. A blowout for the duration of the game, this first-round game saw the Rangers take a commanding 17-4 lead in the first quarter and a 29-14 lead into halftime.
Once again this season, Steven Spieth ‘13 led all scorers with 12 points, while defensive and rebounding specialist, Joe Payne ’13, had his best offensive game of the season with 9 points, as well as 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Senior big man Nathan Krog also had his best offensive performance against Ennis, putting up 8 points, while the speedy junior, Brocke Stepteau, added another 8 points and 4 assists to the effort.
On top of the commanding offensive play, the Rangers also had their second best defensive effort of the year.
Jesuit v. Houston Strake
Following this first round game, the Rangers set their sights on the next game against Jesuit’s very close brother school, Houston Strake Jesuit. Last year, the Strake Crusaders, led by now-Duke-freshman phenom, Rasheed Sulaimon ‘12, defeated the Rangers in the second game of the season, 72-63, with Sulaimon scoring 20 points in their winning effort.
Without Sulaimon, however, the Crusaders have lost a bit of their offensive explosiveness, a weakness showcased by the Rangers’ ability to hold the Crusaders to only 39 points, the third lowest amount scored by any Jesuit opponent this year.
After finishing tied,10-10, at the end of the first quarter, the Rangers took the lead, outscoring Strake 30-16 in the next two quarters and never relinquishing control, en route to a 54-39 win, making the Rangers 7-0 for the season.
Bryan Stankey ’13 led all scorers with 20 points, maintaining his high three-point percentage and overall fantastic offensive numbers. Spieth also added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while junior guard Michael Bejarano and senior guard Grant Hatzmann had 7 assists and 6 points, respectively.
Championship Game
The Rangers came into the finals of the tournament against perennial North Dallas powerhouse, the Episcopal School of Dallas, with a chip on their shoulder, having surrendered the championship game in last year’s tournament to the Mesquite Skeeters.
After scoring a whopping 27 points in the first quarter, the Rangers managed to score only a single point in the second quarter.
Despite the Rangers’ inability to really put this championship game out of reach for ESD, the Rangers still managed to grab the lead about halfway into the fourth quarter and seal a 74-67 victory, which made the Rangers Knights of Columbus champions.
For the first time in his varsity career, Stepteau led all Jesuit players, in both points and assists, scoring 20 points and dishing out 7 assists. Spieth added to Stepteau’s fantastic performance, with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Stankey and Bejarano also contributed to the points total with 10 points and 11 points, respectively.
Post-Game Awards
Following the game and a 45-point, 21-rebound, 9-assist tournament performance, Spieth was awarded MVP of the tournament, an award deserved because of his consistent well-roundedness and ability to deliver in multiple facets of the game for the Rangers, not just throughout the tournament, but throughout the season thus far.
Stankey, for his unbelievable offensive performance, which included 34 points in three games and an unbelievable three-point percentage, earned all-tournament.
Upon receiving the award, Stankey described his excitement, saying “It means a lot to me to be given the award, especially in the 50th year of the tournament. I think our guys are all hitting key shots when we need them, and at the end of the day, we all have had each other’s backs defensively. Overall, I am very proud of how we played in such a huge tournament.”
Through eight games, the Rangers have gone undefeated, for the first time in the last decade. In fact, this is the best season start the Rangers have had since 2003. These Rangers, with a great mix of offensive firepower, led by Stankey, Spieth and Stepteau, and a stout defensive pedigree, led by senior Grant Hatzmann, sophomore forward Michael McReynolds, Joe Payne, and Nathan Krog ’13, just to name a few, have the chance to be one of the best Jesuit varsity basketball squads of all time.
As varsity manager Jeff Ackels ’13 keenly put it, “The Jesuit basketball team has excelled this year as we all know. [But] where did this success come from? Some say hard work, some say dedication, and others say great coaching. I say all of the above. The Jesuit Rangers have united as one team and are embarking on a journey to fulfill their destiny. The time has come. The Rangers have arrived.”
