Marion girls look for win against Lady Mustangs

Lady Patriots hit the hardwood to take on Paragould in 6A play

By Collins Peeples

sports@theeveningtimes.com

The Lady Patriots (4-2 overall, 1-0 conference) seek their second straight conference victory tonight in Paragould against the Green County Tech Mustangs (3-3, 0-1).

A 24-point fourth quarter earned the Lady Pats a win in their first conference game of the season earlier this week over the Blytheville Chickasaws.

Marion pulled away from the Chickasaws in the final quarter of play in which Jakyya Clay and Angel Davie each scored eight points. Clay finished the game with 21 points and Davie pumped in 16 in the Patriots victory over the Chickasaws.

Marion Lady Patriots Head Coach Shunda Johnson believes that Davie brings a muchneeded lift to the Lady Pats offense.

“When Angel hit that three to start the fourth quarter it really sparked us,” Johnson said. “When our guards start scoring it really opens it up for our forwards, like Clay, to get boards and put backs.”

The Lady Patriots will look for more high quality play from their guards, which is crucial to Marion’s game plan, according to Johnson.

“My guards must, and this is a must, knock down open jump shots,” Johnson said. “Our guards need to step up and be more consistent. I really don’t care which one does but someone needs to step up to help Angel carry some of the load.”

Johnson also looks for her ladies to improve in their half-court offense and execute fundamentals which the coach believes are key to the Lady Patriots success.

“We need to execute in the half-court set and control the defensive glass,” Johnson said. “Those are the key things that we talk about daily. Also, were going to have to capitalize on any mistakes we force them into. We have to convert turnovers into baskets. We can’t force them into turnovers and not score.”

A win tonight in Paragould could serve as the momentum the Lady Patriots need to win on the road throughout the rest of the season, according to Johnson.

“We need to be able to win on the road,” Johnson said. “Getting a road win will really help us with our confidence. We need to have confidence that we can play in anyone’s gym.”

The Lady Patriots seek that confidence and their second conference win tonight against the Green County Tech Mustangs in Paragould at 5 p.m.

Marion girls look for win against Lady Mustangs

Photos by Collins Peeples

Angel Davie (1) rises above Chickasaw defender to lay in a basket in the Lady Patriots first conference win of the season. Davie contributed 16 points to the Lady Patriots victory earlier in the week.