Anyone wondering how the Marion Lady Patriots would respond to a difficult league loss last Friday night at Greene County Tech got a rapid response on Tuesday night at Fidelity Bank Arena. Hosting Paragould, which entered play in a three-way tie for first place in the 5A East, Marion took control of the game early in the first quarter, and led by double digits most of the way for a crucial 56-43 victory that keeps the Lady Pats in first place in the league standings. Marion (15-6 overall, 5-1 5A East) plays Friday night at Jonesboro. Defense was the name of the game for the Lady Pats, limiting the Lady Rams (12-5, 4-2) to a chilly 18 of 57 shooting(32 percent) performance from the field. That mark included two of 21 from three-point range for the visitors. “I liked the way we played, especially in the first half. We came out with the fire that we needed,” said Marion coach Shunda Johnson. “We told them we needed to win this game, because we're at home, and we need to take care of our home.” Marion's scheme took shape early on, employing a box-and-one defense on Paragould's star senior guard Carson Defries, who last week hit seven three-pointers in a Paragould victory over Jonesboro. The box-and-one is a hybrid defense that is a combination of man and zone principles. The tactic paid off as Marion limited Defries to just seven points, six after halftime. “We felt we had to stop Defries and contain everybody else,” said Johnson. “Everyone on their team can shoot it, we just didn't need them to shoot it well tonight.” Marion took its first lead in the first quarter when sophomore guard Ny'Asia Jackson scored on a layup for a 6-5 advantage with 5:11 remaining in the opening stanza. The Lady Pats wouldn't trail again. Marion led 16-10 after the first quarter and claimed its first double-digit lead with 4:02 left in the second quarter on a Jessica Robins layup, as the Lady Pats fashioned a 36-19 lead at halftime. When the teams hit the lockers, Paragould connected on just seven of 29 shots from the floor, and one of 13 from three-point range. Paragould got within 12 points twice in the third quarter, but a Daedrianna Cail layup pushed the Lady Pats back in front 44-30, which doubled as the score entering the fourth quarter. Marion forward Alyse Holliman played closer against Paragould, pouring in nine points in the final frame. Holliman converted a three-point play with 7:21 remaining to give Marion a 47-33 lead. When Paragould scored to get within 51-41 with 3:34 left in regulation, Holliman scored on Marion's next two possessions to reinstate the hosts' 14-point lead with less than a minute left on the clock. Holliman logged a team-high 15 points with six rebounds, while Robins pumped in 14 points, and Cail hit for 11. Keimauri Brown paced Paragould with 12 points, while Hadlee Defries added eight. Marion plays Friday night at Jonesboro, and the winner will have sole possession of first place following the initial run through conference play. The tip of the girls game is approximately 6 p.m. The girls and boys varsity games will be livestreamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.