Faces #2 Nazareth in semifinal Thursday in San Antonio
The 9th ranked Jayton boys basketball team beat #25 Irion County 47-32 Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian University to win the Region II-1A Final and advance to the State Tournament in San Antonio next week for the first time for a boys’ basketball team in school history.
Coach Ryan Bleiker and the Jaybirds head to State with a 25-5 record and have won three play-off games in the past week to punch their ticket to the state tourney.
On Tuesday, Feb. 26 the Jaybirds fought back from a seven point deficit to the Munday Moguls late in the third quarter by outscoring Munday 28-7 in the final 9:43, including 20-5 in the fourth quarter, to blow past the Moguls for a 53-39 victory in a Region II-A quarterfinal playoff game at McMurry’s Kimbrell Arena.
On Friday night the Jaybirds dominated Eden 58-25 at ACU’s Moody Coliseum for the Region II-A semifinal win. About an hour after Jayton won, the Irion County Hornets — in what some would call an upset — toppled the Paducah Dragons, the Jaybirds’ 15-1A District rival and 2019 district champion, 69-58.
Irion County jumped out in front of Paducah from the opening buzzer in a fast-paced game, and the Dragons never regained their footing.
The Saturday game between Jayton and Irion County was just as fast-paced, with aggressive, foul-racking-up play, with the Hornets getting on the scoreboard first. However, the Jaybirds stayed toe-to-toe with the Hornets. Throughout the first half, the game was a nail-biter with the lead continually switching sides or the score being knotted up. It wasn’t until 30 seconds was left in the first half that Jayton sunk a 3-pointer to go into the locker room with a five point lead, 22-17.
In the second half, the Jaybirds held fast, and then poured it on in the fourth quarter. The Jaybirds went 5-0 in the 4th to open up an 11 point lead, and they went on to win by 15.
The Jaybirds will face #2 Nazareth (25-9) in the semi-final at the state tournament in the Alamodome in San Antonio Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
The winner of that game will play the winner of the Slidell Greyhounds and Oakwood Panthers semi-final for the state championship Friday.
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