Junior Pats rain 3’s on Blue Imps

Junior Pats rain 3’s on Blue Imps

Marion bests West, boys and girls both win

By Tyler Bennett

Marion School District The future of Patriot basketball shone bright on Thursday night. Marion Junior High swept both games from the West Junior High Blue Imps in convincing fashion, winning both games by more than 20 points.

Thursday was technically a home game for the Blue Imps, but the game was played at Patriot Arena due to a scheduling conflict at the West Junior High gym.

The second meeting of the season between the teams will still be played at Patriot Arena.

“I like the way we’re playing together as a team,” said MJHS boys Head Coach Johnny Washington. “We were able to get everyone some playing time, get the win, and play an intense game from start to finish as a team.”

The ability to play as a team was obvious in the scorebook. Nine different Junior Patriots scored in the game, and only two finished with double digit point totals despite scoring 61 total points. Washington also made a point to acknowledge a strong game from eighth graders Chico Washington and Jayden Forrest.

Marion also had an outstanding night from beyond the arch. Seven Junior Pats made a combined eight three pointers. The game’s leading scorer, Zyon Parnell, made two of those and finished with 18 points.

“We’ve been working on shooting a lot in practice,” said Washington. “We have a lot of great athletes in our program and almost all of them can shoot the ball well.”

The Junior Patriot boys came out strong against the Blue Imps, taking a 12-2 lead to start the first.

West scored the final four points of the quarter, but the Junior Pats went into the second quarter with a 19-8 lead.

Marion only outscored the Blue Imps 12-11 in the second quarter, but still had a 31 -19 lead going into the locker rooms. The Junior Pats continued their dominance out of the break, outscoring the Blue Imps 30-13 in the second half for the 61-32 final score.

The second half was also a chance for Washington to experiment with his lineups, matching second and first team players together while making sure everyone received playing time.

“Every one of my kids have been working hard, so it’s important to reward them for their hard work with playing time,” said Washington. “Junior high is a development stage for these athletes. We want to get as many of these guys as we can on the court so it won’t be too big of a shock if they get called on at the high school level.”

The Lady Junior Patriots also had a big night against the Lady Blue Imps. Marion had a running clock in the fourth quarter of their 41-17 win.

Marion’s win against the Lady Blue Imps showed off their ability to score in transition, led by Lady Patriot guard Jessica Robins with ten fast break points.

Up next for the Junior Patriot teams is a road trip to West Memphis this evening to take on the Wonder Golden Lions. Today’s games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.

The Junior Patriots made eight three-pointers in Thursday’s win over the West Blue Imps.

Photo by Tyler Bennett