Marion Athletics -

SEARCY --- The Marion Lady Patriots needed a fast start last Friday night when they visited Lion Arena during a tight playoff race, and that's exactly what they got.

Marion canned eight of its 15 shot attempts in the first quarter for a 19-6 lead to open the second quarter, and coasted to a 47-27 victory over Searcy.

The Lady Patriot victory, coupled with Batesville's 69-43 victory at Paragould, leaves MHS and Batesville tied for the fourth and final state tournament bid from the 5A East to this season's Class 5A state basketball tournament.

It sets the stage for arguably the biggest week of the season for Marion, with a Tuesday road trip to Paragould, before hosting Batesville on Friday night at Fidelity Bank Arena.

Marion got a game-high 17 points from Summer Morgan, six from Zaryn Scofield, five from Maliya Stallings, and four apiece from Laniya Crayton, A'laya Smith, Cortlyn Brown, and Ianna Presley.

Searcy got 11 points from Jayla Wynne, six from Kerri Hicks, and five from Leksi Gilmore.

Marion's fast start was on display in the first quarter, bolting out to a 7-2 lead and taking its first double-digit lead (17-6) on a Morgan three-pointer with 38 seconds left in the opening frame as the Lady Pats claimed a 19-6 advantage after eight minutes.

The lead reached 20 points for the first (33-11) with 26 seconds left in the first half when Zion Vasser connected on a three-pointer, and that tally doubled as the halftime score.

A Smith runner gave Marion a 41-11 lead with 4:16 left, and the Lady Pats led 45-14 to open the fourth quarter.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion travels to play Paragould on Tuesday evening to continue 5A East action. The girls contest will tip off around 6 p.m., followed by the guys game around 7:30. If you can't watch the game in person at Doc Paynter Court, you can watch the varsity contests for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.

5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/13
Marion 47, Searcy 27
Batesville 69, Paragould 43
Greene Co. Tech 67, Nettleton 52
Valley View 52, W. Memphis 20

5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/16
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Greene Co. Tech 10-0
Valley View 8-2
Nettleton 8-2
Marion 5-5
Batesville 5-5
Paragould 3-7
Searcy 1-9
W. Memphis 0-10
The top four teams qualify for the state tournament, March 3-7 at Farmington.

5A EAST GAMES ON 2/17
Marion at Paragould
W. Memphis at Greene Co. Tech
Searcy at Valley View
Nettleton at Batesville