Anytime you win a conference ballgame, it feels like a holiday, but for the Marion Patriots, the feeling held extra meaning over the weekend. Playing a rare two-game home stretch at Fidelity Bank Arena, Marion slapped Searcy 64-56 last Friday night, which was also Valentine's Day. Then, the Patriots went back to work just two days later and pounded Paragould 65-50 on Monday afternoon, which just so happened to be President's Day. Marion's big weekend took on even more significance when Crittenden County neighbor West Memphis dealt Valley View the Blazers' first league loss of 2025, pushing the Patriots just one game behind the Blazers in the conference standings, with Valley View still scheduled to visit Marion on Tuesday, February 25 for Senior Night. Marion (21-6 overall, 9-2 5A East) got a game-high 21 points from junior Chandler Randle in the victory over Searcy, while Jalen Neal pumped in 17 points, and Mikell Lewis finished with 11 points. Lewis led the way on Monday night against Paragould with 15 points, while Korbin Littlejohn hit for 11, and Jackson Black added eight. The Patriots were quick out of the gates against Searcy, taking a 25-10 lead after the first quarter, and the Marion advantage was 33-24 at halftime, while the hosts led 50-34 entering the fourth. Marion won the rebounding battle with Searcy decisively, outboarding the Lions 35-22, led by Randle's six caroms and four apiece from Black and Lewis. The back glass remained a staple of the Marion attack on Monday against Paragould, as the Pats outrebounded the Rams 34-16. 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 MarionPatriots.com, or on the MPAN mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/14 Marion 64, Searcy 56 W. Memphis 80, Valley View 71 Nettleton 86, Greene Co. Tech 77 Batesville 63, Paragould 51 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/17 Marion 65, Paragould 50 W. Memphis 63, Greene Co. Tech 37 Valley View 64, Searcy 33 Nettleton 71, Batesville 49 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/18 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Valley View 10-1 Marion 9-2 Nettleton 9-2 Greene Co. Tech 6-4 W. Memphis 5-5 Paragould 2-9 Batesville 1-10 Searcy 1-10 Top four teams make state tournament March 4-8 at Greene Co. Tech. 5A EAST GAMES ON 2/21 Marion at Batesville Greene Co. Tech at Valley View Nettleton at W. Memphis Searcy at Paragould