Marion girls win two
Lady Pats take down Lady Lions, Lady Rams
By Chuck Livingston
Marion School District
The Marion Lady Patriots knew that a return to the state tournament would not be easy in arguably the deepest league in Class 5A girls hoops.
Aiding the cause over the long weekend has been a rare stretch of consecutive home games, allowing the Lady Pats to utilize Fidelity Bank Arena as a springboard.
See MARION, page A20
Photo by Eryn Edwards MARION
From page A7
Marion used the lucky break to its advantage, stopping Searcy last Friday night in a 53-39 decision, and pounding Paragould on Monday evening 57-35.
The pair of victories improved Marion's 2024-2025 mark to 18-9 overall and 8-3 in the 5A East, just a game behind Valley View in the league standings. Marion hosts Valley View for Senior Night on Tuesday, February 25.
Sophomore Summer Morgan led the charge against Paragould with 13 points, while Jalee Meeks finished with 10 points, and Joniya Lewis chipped in nine points.
Jada Cheers paced the Lady Pats against Paragould with 16 points, while Lewis and Morgan pumped in 10 points apiece.
Marion finished its season sweep of Searcy on Valentine's Day by turning the Lady Lions over 16 times and holding the visitors to just 28 percent shooting. Marion won the rebounding edge 4021, led by Lewis's eight caroms and six by Cheers.
The hosts led Searcy 9-5 after the first quarter, 21-19 at halftime, and 35-31 entering the fourth frame.
The Paragould contest shifted from its original date on Tuesday evening to President's Day, but it did not prevent Marion from outscoring Paragould 23-8 after the first quarter. taking a 39-19 lead to halftime, and the Lady Patriots enjoyed a 54-24 bulge to open the fourth frame.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion travels to Batesville on Friday, February 21 to continue 5A East play. The varsity girls contest will tip around 6 p.m., followed by the varsity boys game around 7:30. You can watch the varsity girls and boys games for free on the MPAN YouTube channel, at www. marionpatriots. com or on the MPAN mobile app.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/14
Marion 53, Searcy 39 Greene Co. Tech 52, Nettleton 51 Valley View 38, W. Memphis 34 Batesville 58, Paragould 31
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/17
Marion 57, Paragould 35 Greene County Tech 49, West Memphis 46 Valley View 46, Searcy 40 Nettleton 56, Batesville 44
5A EAST STANDINGS
Greene County Tech 11-0 Valley View 9-2 Marion 8-3 Nettleton 5-5 West Memphis 5-6 Batesville 3-7 Searcy 2-9 Paragould 0-11 Top four teams make state tournament March 4-8 at Greene Co. Tech.
5A EAST GAMES ON 2/21
Marion at Batesville Greene County Tech at Valley View Nettleton at West Memphis Searcy at Paragould
