The Jesuit High School Sacramento varsity basketball team played a string of three games from Jan. 26 to Jan. 29. The Marauders won every game during this span creating a three-game win streak that raised their record to 10-11.

Jesuit started the win streak with a 10 point victory (64-54) over Pleasant Grove High School on Jan. 26 at home. 

After four straight losses, this much needed win was led by forward Andrej Stojakovic ’23, who had a double-double consisting of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Along with a key 13 points from guard Jayden Teat ’23, Jesuit was ultimately able to withstand a fourth quarter rally from Pleasant Grove to close out the game.

Forward Kai Wallin ’22 speaks on the increased production from the bench and how it’s been helping the team recently. 

“I think we played really well,” Kai said. “We have a couple guys out because of injury right now, and I think our bench guys have stepped up and filled roles; and we’ve just had really good chemistry.”

Next, Jesuit played the Davis High School Blue Devils for a two game set over two days. In the first game on Jan. 28, Jesuit defeated the Blue Devils on Jesuit’s home court. The Marauders won by a score of 83-69 after a second-half scoring surge. This 14-point win lifted the team’s record to 9-11 and a record of 3-3 in league play. 

The first half saw both sides canceling each other out with the score tied at 39. But Jesuit came out of halftime firing on all cylinders scoring in transition and hitting a high percentage of their threes. 

Andrej once again had a great performance scoring 42 points, with a majority of them coming in the second half. He believes that there’s room for improvement despite the team playing phenomenal.

“I think we played pretty good,” Andrej said. “Obviously, we could always make free throws and take care of the ball more, but we just have to move past that and keep taking care of business.”

A day later on Saturday, Jan. 29 Jesuit faced DHS looking to repeat the success of the game from the night before. The outcome went in favor of the Marauders, who won with another overwhelming victory of 61-48. The scoring was evenly distributed among the rotation players, with guards Austin Stuart ’22 and Owen Ubaldo ’23 scoring 11 and 13 points respectively. 

Head Coach Timothy Kelly believes the team’s next few games will be difficult, as they are all against Delta League schools. 

“We have a huge challenge in front of us,” Coach Kelly said. “The second time through league is never easy, so we need to be at our best every game. 

Now boasting a record of 10-11, the Marauders hope to continue this string of victories with playoffs approaching, so every game matters in order to secure a high seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs. After a demoralizing one-point loss on Jan. 19, they hope to redeem themselves at Cosumnes Oaks High School on Feb. 2 at 7 pm.