Since their close victory over Mesquite to open the season, Jesuit has lost 3 games straight. Monday night, they matched up against a tough, athletic Lewisville team. The Farmers came out strong, pushing to an early lead and never looking back. “They were more athletic, more experienced, they played harder, and they wanted to win more,” said Coach Hill of Monday’s contest. Lewisville’s Bowie, Clark, and Dorsey combined for 49 of the Farmers’ 77 points in their 77-56 victory over the Rangers. Stud sophomore Steven Spieth led the scoring for the Rangers with 16, while senior point guard Blaine Simmons added 11 points of his own. Seniors Brian Wetzel and Connor Henry, still out with ankle injuries, were accompanied by junior Reid Leinbaugh who got hurt in the game against Strake.
Saturday’s game against Plano provided much more entertainment for the Ranger fans but still ended with another mark in the loss column for Jesuit. The 63-56 contest was a heated battle all the way down to the fourth quarter. Daniel Slaughter came out firing for Plano hitting 5 of his first 6 shots in the first quarter. However, Jesuit had an impressive shooting display of their own, leading at the end of the first. Jesuit held the lead all the way through the third quarter, beginning the fourth quarter up 51-45. The Wildcats put on full-court pressure from the start of the fourth, turning Ranger turnovers into easy points. Led by Slaughter and 6’7” senior Rashad Smith, who had 23 and 19 points respectively, Plano Senior outscored the Rangers 18 to 5 in the fourth quarter. Junior David Lacey had a double-double, 18 points and 13 rebounds, as well as 6 steals. Seniors Stephen Olson and Jeff Schoettmer added 13 and 10 points respectively, each having their best scoring games of the season. Coach Hill had this to say of the tough loss: “We played hard and did lots of good things. I was proud of how many different contributors we have and it was an overall good learning experience. But…we lost that one, we let it get away.” Steven Spieth had to sit out for the Rangers with a bone bruise on his ankle, leaving just 8 available players for the Varsity Rangers. Injuries and inexperience seem to be plaguing this team for now, but with each loss the Rangers are getting closer and closer to that break out game that could lead them to a great season.
