Marion takes down El Dorado
Patriots advance in 5A State Tournament
By Chuck Livingston
Marion School District
PARAGOULD — Marion's Jalen Neal corralled an outlet pass with no El Dorado Wildcats in the half court with him.
Neal was dribbling towards the end zone of Greene County Tech's Eagle Arena, which was packed with roughly 100 Marion students as they went crazy.
The junior performer took off and threw down a two-handed dunk that electrified the Marion faithful, and Neal emphatically slammed the backboard before descending back to the court.
The play was a microcosm for Marion in its 72-44 firstround state tournament victory over El Dorado.
Marion led the Wildcats 26-21 at halftime before locking in defensively, forcing 11 El Dorado turnovers after the break, outrebounding the south Arkansas outfit 17-7 in the third and fourth quarters, and the Patriots pulled away by making 17 of their 26 shots after the break.
See PATS, page A20
Photo by Eryn Edwards PATS
From page A7
Marion advances to the state quarterfinals for the sixth time in eight seasons, and the Patriots will play the winner of Wednesday evening's Farmington- Sylvan Hills game at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, back at Eagle Arena.
Marion improved to 25-6 overall in 2024-2025 by making 56 percent of its shots for the game, including eight of 16 shots from three-point range. Chandler Randle led the Pats with 21 points, with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Neal finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two assists. Mikell Lewis filled the state sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and Dexter Higgins, Jr. logged six points, six assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
The Pats made half of their 12 shots in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-11 lead after eight minutes.
Marion stayed hot in the second quarter, pushing ahead by as many as 10 points before leading 26-21 at halftime.
MHS turned El Dorado over six times in the third quarter to take a 45-27 lead to the fourth frame.
What’s Next?
Marion will play in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening against the winner of the Farmington-Sylvan Hills firstround game.
The Lady Patriots open their run at the 2025 Class 5A state tournament at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon against Benton.
You can watch Marion's games at the state tournament for free on the MPAN YouTube channel, at Marion-Patriots.com, or on the MPAN mobile app.
