Marion coach David Clark sat back in his office chair eating popcorn trying to process what he'd just witnessed. His Patriots had just erased a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a blink, rallying for a 62-55 victory over a game Paragould group at Fidelity Bank Arena. Marion (16-5 overall, 6-0 5A East) started full-court pressing Paragould at the beginning of the fourth quarter in an attempt to remain perfect in conference play. The maneuver resulted in 10 Paragould turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, leading to 12 fast-break points. “We felt we could have success by jumping and pressing them,” said Clark, who's in his fourth year as Marion coach. “We came in wanting to play a solid game of defense, but at that point (fourth quarter), we had to do something different to try and win the game.” And the scheme shift came not a moment too soon. Paragould closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run to claim a 46-34 lead entering the fourth quarter. After three quarters, the Rams had connected on five of nine shots from three-point range, including three of five in the third period. Enter junior guard Donnie Cheers, who opened the fourth quarter on a personal 7-0 run to get the Pats within five points. Cheers started the run with a stickback seconds before he stole a ball near midcourt and scored on a layup, to force a Paragould timeout. Not to be deterred, Cheers again fought his way to the basket and drew a foul to convert an old-fashioned three-point play to make the score 46-41 with 7:13 remaining in regulation. “Donnie plays hard and physical,” said Clark. “He plays exceptionally fast and smart. He brings us a ton on offense and defense. He's a fierce competitor.” Paragould's lead swelled back to nine points (50-41) with 6:47 left, but Ryan Forrest converted a three-point play of his own to move the Pats within six. Cheers and Forrest converted layups on Marion's next two possessions to trim the Paragould lead to 50-48 with 5:16 left in the fourth. Marion took the lead for good (52-50) when Cheers found Zyon Parnell cutting to the hoop for a layup with 3:58 remaining in regulation. Paragould got within three points twice in the game's final two minutes, but Forrest responded with a layup, before Jayden Forrest, cousin to Ryan, connected on all four of his free throws down the stretch to turn away the Rams. Paragould led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, before settling for a 13-11 advantage after eight minutes. The teams swapped scores until late in the second quarter when Darrion Love canned a three-pointer, and Ryan Forrest made a pair of free throws, and Marion led 23-22 at halftime. The Rams clicked on offense in the third quarter, making eight of 11 field goals, to fashion that 46-34 lead after three periods. Ryan Forrest paced Marion with 24 points, while Cheers chipped in with 14, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Jayden Forrest hit for eight points and five assists. Paragould senior forward Isaiah Jackson pumped in 24 points, while Jamison Davault scored nine. Marion plays at No. 1 Jonesboro on Friday night. The girls varsity game will tip at approximately 6 p.m., with the boys following around 7:30. The game will be livestreamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.