PARAGOULD --- With less than a minute remaining in a hyper-competitive first-round state tournament game against Benton, Marion was knotted at 41 and was one stop away from advancing to the state quarterfinals for the fourth time in five seasons. Even following a Benton basket that gave the Lady Panthers a late 43-41 lead, Marion seemed to have tied the game on a runner from Madison Glaspie, but the hoop was wiped out by a foul on the floor. Then Marion had two decent looks at tying field goals in the game's final 11 seconds but could not make either one, adding up for a 44-41 loss that ends Marion's season with a stellar 20-11 overall record with a conference runner-up finish in 2024-2025. Marion got 12 points, three rebounds, and three steals from Jada Cheers, while Summer Morgan finished with nine points, four steals, and two rebounds. Ayanna Hayes and Jalee Meeks scored seven points apiece, while Hayes also pulled down seven rebounds. Benton got a game-high 23 points from Lexi Duck, who hit the eventual winning shot with less than 40 seconds left, while McCartney Asher added 13 points. The game started well enough for Marion, as the Lady Pats opened on a 10-2 in the contest's initial five minutes of play. That spurt included five points apiece from Hayes and Meeks, but Benton battled within 12-8 by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter featured Benton's first lead of the game (17-16) with 1:18 left in the first half, but a pair of Hayes free throws gave the Lady Pats an 18-17 halftime lead. The offenses got on track in the third period as the game moved to the fourth quarter tied at 33 apiece. A Duck bucket gave the Lady Panthers a 41-39 lead with 2:01 left in regulation, but Morgan stole an inbounds pass and scored the tying layup with 1:00 left in the game.