The calendar says January for another few days, but Marion's basketball games Friday night at Jonesboro reek of March madness. That's because first place in the 5A East conference hangs in the balance at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium. The girls varsity game will tip at approximately 6 p.m., with the guys varsity game tipping at approximately 7:30 p.m. Those contests will be livestreamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. The winner of each game will sit alone in first place in the conference chase. The Marion Lady Patriots, who have won eight of their last nine outings, have already passed one major test earlier this week. On Tuesday night, Marion (15-6 overall, 5-1 5A East) played perhaps its most complete game of the season in a 66-53 conquest over Paragould at Fidelity Bank Arena. Friday night's contest will be the second contest between Marion and Jonesboro this season after the Lady Pats juked Jonesboro (10-7, 4-1) in December at a holiday tournament in Duncanville, Texas, but the Jonesboro ladies were without a key player. The girls game features the two teams tied at the top of the 5A East standings, but Marion and Jonesboro have other common opponents outside of league action. Little Rock Parkview beat Jonesboro in the season opener on November 11, while Marion beat Parkview the following week. Class 6A power Conway downed Marion (84-59) and Jonesboro (67-46) in non-conference action. Paragould dealt Jonesboro its only league loss on January 11. Jonesboro allows less than 35 points per game during its four-game winning streak. “We have to prepare our girls for a sudden turn of events,” said Marion girls coach Shunda Johnson. “It's to be a game of momentum, we just have to get more momentum shifts than they do.” Marion and Jonesboro are two of the premier girls programs in the state, having earned four of the last six state titles. Marion bested Jonesboro for the district title in 2017 and 2018, while Jonesboro earned semifinal victories over the Lady Pats in 2018 and 2021. Ereauana Hardaway and Destiny Thomas pace the Jonesboro girls team in scoring and rebounding. The boys game could be ripe with drama, as well, as each team enters with dueling 6-0 records in league play. Top-ranked Jonesboro sports a sterling 16-3 overall record this season, and the Golden Hurricane have lost only to out-of-state foes Link Academy (Branson, Missouri), Amarillo (Texas), and Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Florida). Marion (16-5 overall) and Jonesboro have split their last six head-to-head meetings. “We have to lock in, focus, and really compete,” said Marion boys coach David Clark after Tuesday's win over Paragould. “As long as we keep fighting, we're never truly out of a game.” Marion and Jonesboro have won or shared seven of the last eight conference championships, and that dominance has continued into this season. Jonesboro dispatches league foes by almost 32 points per game in 2022, while Marion outscores its regional opposition by almost 19 points per outing. Jonesboro forward Quion Williams, an Oklahoma State signee, has emerged as one of the top players in the state. Jesse Washington and Kavon Pointer fuel the Jonesboro attack.