LEVELLAND — The second-ranked Jayton Jaybirds trailed No. 4 Texline by six points on a pair of occasions — the last late in the third quarter — and saw their first two-possession lead narrowed to a single bucket with 51 seconds to play Saturday at South Plains College’s Texan Dome. 

But in a Region I-1A championship game full of punches and counterpunches, coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad landed the biggest and last, outscoring the Tornadoes 21-14 in the fourth quarter to escape Levelland with a thrilling 51-46 win.

Jayton, which trailed at the end of each of the first three periods, punched its ticket to the Class 1A state tournament in the process, earning its second consecutive trip to San Antonio and fourth in the last six years.