It's not quite time for March madness, but there is a palpable buzz in the air during this final week of the 2024-2025 Marion basketball regular season. Today's edition of the Shootaround breaks down what's at stake tonight at Senior Night at Fidelity Bank Arena as Marion hosts Valley View, and looking down the line at Friday's regular-season finale at Greene County Tech. Shunda Johnson's Marion Lady Patriots could finish as conference runners-up with a win over Valley View by three points or more, or if they win out. The good news is that the Lady Pats can only finish as the No. 2 or No. 3 playoff seed. The Marion men have shifted into overdrive in February, winning six games in a row, all by eight points or more, and Sammie Lewis's first Patriot outfit could nail down Marion's second conference title in three seasons if they beat Valley View and Greene County Tech on Friday. A conference title seemed unlikely following Marion's late January loss at Valley View, when the Patriots fell to 4-2 in the 5A East with head-to-head losses to Nettleton and Valley View, while those two schools were soaring along with dueling 6-0 league records. But Marion stayed the course from there, getting contributions from up and down the roster and taking care of business every time out since that night. Valley View beat Nettleton in those teams' first meeting, Marion went to Raider Gymnasium and topped Nettleton in early February, and then West Memphis pulled off one of the stunners so far this season when the Blue Devils beat Valley View last week. A win over Valley View would be great for Marion, but to earn the tiebreaker over the Blazers, the Patriots would need to win by six points or more. Marion earned the tiebreaker over Nettleton with a double-digit win in February while the Raiders only topped the Patriots by four in January. It's also important to remember that Nettleton and Valley View will play again on Friday, and that outcome could be of some interest to Marion, especially if the Pats can beat Valley View tonight and Greene County Tech on Friday. It's possible that we could have 5A East tri-champions in 2025, or one of these teams finishes as an outright conference champion. What we know for sure is that the Valley View game will help dictate both Marion hoop teams' eventual outcomes. A girls loss tonight assures the Lady Patriots of the No. 3 playoff seed and a difficult first-round playoff matchup with a 5A south team. A win by three points or more gives MHS a slightly better first-round draw. A boys defeat eliminates MHS from a potential No. 1 playoff seed and a share of the league title, and should Nettleton beat Valley View on Friday, then the Patriot boys would relegate Marion to the No. 3 playoff seed. There are always high stakes in Arkansas high school basketball, and nobody knows that better this year than Marion's boys and girls. The good news? You can watch the Valley View games tonight and the Greene County Tech contests on Friday night for free on the MPAN YouTube channel, at MarionPatriots.com, or on the MPAN mobile app. SENIOR NIGHT A staggering 11 Marion basketball seniors will be honored between the girls varsity game and the boys varsity contest this evening, including eight Lady Patriots. The Marion girls club will recognize Kiyah Washington, Amilyah Buchanan, Nia Prude, Ayanna Hayes, Mariyah Rucks, Jalee Meeks, Joniya Lewis, and Taniyah Bailey following the Valley View game, while Marion senior boys Rylan Johnson, Mykal Knighten, and Mikell Lewis will be honored prior to the tip of the boys game. You can also watch the Senior Night ceremony for free on the MPAN broadcast. WHAT'S THE DATE? Marion basketball has played 12 conference basketball games so far this winter, and they've been on five days of the week. The Patriots hosted Paragould on Monday, February 17, in a game that was rescheduled for impending winter weather. Tuesday is a typical night for conference hoops, and Marion will play its fifth Tuesday conference game this evening at home against Valley View. Marion made the short trip to West Memphis to open conference play on Thursday, January 9, and the Pats will play their sixth conference Friday game this week when they wrap their league slate at Greene County Tech. Marion did move one scheduled Friday game to Saturday last week when the Patriots traveled to Batesville on Saturday, February 22. The AAA does not typically allow teams to play on Wednesday or Sunday unless there's an emergency. GIRLS 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/24 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Greene Co. Tech 12-0*+ Valley View 9-3* Marion 9-3* Nettleton 6-5 W. Memphis 5-6 Searcy 3-9 Batesville 3-9 Paragould 0-12 *clinched spot in state tournament +clinched conference title and No. 1 playoff seed BOYS 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/24 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Valley View 11-1* Marion 10-2* Nettleton 9-2* W. Memphis 6-5 Greene Co. Tech 6-6 Paragould 3-9 Batesville 1-11 Searcy 1-11 *clinched state tournament spot Top four teams make state tournament March 4-8 at Greene Co. Tech. 5A EAST GAMES ON 2/25 Valley View at Marion Batesville at Greene Co. Tech W. Memphis at Searcy Paragould at Nettleton 5A EAST GAMES ON 2/28 Marion at Greene Co. Tech Nettleton at Valley View W. Memphis at Paragould Searcy at Batesville