Patriots shine over Christmas break
Marion boys come up big in holiday hoops events
By CHUCK LIVINGSTON
Marion School District
The Marion Patriot basketball team put the state on notice over the Christmas holiday.
Playing in the Bentonville Classic the week before Christmas, and the Ronnie Brogdon Invitational in Highland the days following the holiday, Marion won four of five games, including three games in three days to earn the Brogdon Invitational title for the first time in school history.
As a result of the sterling performance, Marion earned a No. 10 overall state ranking in this week’s Class 5A Super Six ranking from the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette.
Playing in Bentonville, Marion split a pair of non-conference games, dropping a tight 47-44 decision against Class 6A power Bentonville before bouncing back with a quality 50-46 victory over Class 6A West favorite Springdale.
Beginning the day after Christmas, Marion embarked on a three-day trip to Highland, where the Patriots (12-4 overall) ran the table at the Brogdon Invitational, topping Forsyth (MO.) 63-47, Class 6A North Little Rock 57-46, and Texas Storm Elite 6664 for the tournament final.
Senior Mikell Lewis and junior Jalen Neal earned two of the five coveted all-tournament team spots and earned Player of the Game for the victories over North Little Rock and Texas Storm, respectively. Sophomore guard Korbin Littlejohn earned Player of the Game in Marion’s win over Forsyth.
Marion opens conference play Friday night at West Memphis, and that contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, and on the MPAN mobile app.
The 2024-2025 Marion Patriots earned this year’s Bad Boy Mowers Ronnie Brogdon Invitational tournament title by dispatching Forsyth (MO.), North Little Rock, and Texas Storm Elite over the Christmas break.
Photos courtesy of MSD
Korbin Littlejohn (15), Mikell Lewis (13), and Jalen Neal (3) each earned Player of the Game awards for their standout play, while Lewis and Neal earned all-tournament team honors.
