SAN ANTONIO — A near-perfect defensive effort by the Jayton Jaybirds ended the competitive phase of the Class 1A Division II state title game by halftime Thursday, as coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad held Bryson without a field goal in the first two quarters on its way to a dominating 70-36 win at the Alamodome.

The Jaybirds, who overcame a slow offensive start to build a 35-3 lead by the break, forced more than twice as many turnovers (25) as field goals allowed (12), making for a comfortable defense of last year’s state championship — the first in program history.

Now back-to-back champions with five state trips in the past seven seasons, Jayton further cemented its place as one of the premier programs in Texas small school basketball — a fact not lost on Bleiker, who led the Jaybirds to their first-ever state trip in 2019.