Marion 46, Searcy 42
To advance deep into the state tournament, you have to be able to execute in late-game situations against good competition in close contests.
Marion got a taste of that last Friday night.
Carrying a nine-game winning streak over Searcy into action, a very game Lions outfit led for most of the contest before Marion rallied late to a 46-42 come-from-behind victory at Fidelity Bank Arena.
Marion (15-4 overall, 3-0 5A East) got 14 points from Jalen Neal, 13 from Chandler Randle, and 10 from Karlyal Hyland in the victory.
Searcy (10-8, 0-3) fell despite getting a game-high 20 points from Maddox Ball and 14 from Quaid King.
The Lions led 9-6 after the first quarter, but Marion rallied to tie the contest at halftime at 17 apiece, and the Patriots led 31-29 after three frames.
A Randle runner with 2:46 left in regulation gave Marion a 41-39 advantage, but a pair of free throws got Searcy even at 41 with 1:51 left.
Neal drove the lane with 1:06 left, absorbed contact, made a runner, and converted a three-point play for a 44-41 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Following Neal's basket and free throw, Korbin Littlejohn and Randle came up with steals on Searcy's next two possessions, and on the third, the Lions misfired on a potential tying three-point attempt.
Neal scored a layup with 12.2 seconds remaining to give his team a 46-41 lead that the Pats would close out from there.
Marion 61, Paragould 28
For almost four minutes of Tuesday night's home conference contest at Fidelity Bank Arena, the Paragould Rams looked ripe to pick off Marion, the top-ranked team in Class 5A and the defending 5A East conference champion.
The Rams made three of their first five shots, while the visitors' zone defense flummoxed Marion, adding up to a 10-0 lead with 4:27 left in the opening quarter.
But when Marion got it going, it really got going.
The Patriots closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run, took the lead early in the second period for a 32-15 lead at halftime, and finished the game on a 61-18 run, pulling away for a 61-28 win.
Marion (16-4 overall, 4-0 5A East) got a balanced offensive effort with eight Patriots scoring, led by Chandler Randle and Daevion Bailey netting 12 points apiece, and Karlyal Hyland adding 11.
Paragould saw five players score, led by Delonte Batiste's 11 points, eight by Wyatt Eckles, and six from Jon McAlister.
It was Batiste who got Paragould off to a flying start in the first period, hitting a pair of three-pointers, the latter of which gave the Rams an 8-0 lead, followed by an Eckles jump hook that gave Paragould that 10-0 lead.
Marion hit the comeback trail behind Jackson Black, who recorded a game-high nine rebounds, and Hyland, who scored four points apiece in the first quarter, and when Bailey came up with a steal near midcourt and hit Hyland for a layup to finish the fast break, the Pats were within 14-12 after eight minutes.
A Bailey mid-range jumper tied the contest at 14, and Marion took the lead for good on a couple of Littlejohn free throws with 6:56 left in the first half at 16-14.
Bailey struck again with 5:14 left in the first half with a layup to give Marion a 24-14 bulge, and the Patriot defense made it hold up by forcing nine turnovers in the second period alone, and harassing the Rams to miss all seven field goals in the same time as the Pats pushed ahead 32-15 at the break.
A Bailey three-pointer with 1:48 left in the third quarter gave Marion its first 20-point lead (43-23), and the Pats led 49-26 after three. Marion initiated the Arkansas Sportsmanship rule when Littlejohn found Black for a layup with 3:02 left in regulation and gave the Pats a 59-28 advantage.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion plays Friday night at Batesville, with the girls game tipping at approximately 6 p.m., followed by the boys tip at approximately 7:30 p.m. You can watch the Marion-Batesville varsity basketball games for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/16
Marion 46, Searcy 42
Greene Co. Tech 69, Nettleton 63
W. Memphis 43, Valley View 42
Batesville 52, Paragould 50
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/20
Marion 61, Paragould 28
Greene Co. Tech 53, W. Memphis 48
Valley View 72, Searcy 62
Batesville 64, Nettleton 57
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 1/21
SCHOOL. CONF. RECORD
Marion 4-0
Greene Co. Tech 4-0
Valley View 3-1
W. Memphis 2-2
Batesville 2-2
Nettleton 1-3
Searcy 0-4
Paragould 0-4
Top four teams make state tournament at Farmington.
5A EAST GAMES ON 1/22 & 1/23
Marion at Batesville
Greene Co. Tech at Valley View
Nettleton at W. Memphis
Searcy at Paragould