JONESBORO --- A long run coupled with a huge home crowd was enough to give Jonesboro the edge Friday night over Marion at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium. Jonesboro (17-3 overall, 7-0 5A East) hit visiting Marion (16-6, 6-1) with a 15-2 run to close the second quarter to earn a 15-point halftime advantage en route to a 56-35 conquest that leaves Jonesboro in control of the league race with seven conference games remaining in the 2021-2022 season. The Golden Hurricane defense made it hard on the Patriots, forcing 26 Patriot turnovers and connecting on eight of 22 three-pointers in the much-anticipated showdown. "I was pleased tonight with our defense," said Jonesboro coach Wes Swift. "We wanted to make it hard on them and get some deflections. We played really hard all night." Jonesboro led 11-2 with 4:45 in the first quarter before the Pats responded with a 7-0 run to get back into the game. The spurt started when senior guard Zyon Parnell split a pair of free throws before Kayden Nesbit scored on a stickback. Ryan Forrest scored on a driving layup on the possession before Donnie Cheers got Marion within 11-9 with 18.7 seconds left in the first quarter. The Patriots got within 17-15 with 5:11 left in the second quarter when Forrest hit a short jumper. That's when Jonesboro hit another gear, closing the first half on a 15-2 run to claim a 32-17 lead at the break. After two quarters, Jonesboro connected on 12 of 24 field goals while Marion managed just six of 15, but the Pats committed 16 turnovers after the second quarter. Jonesboro took its first 20-point lead (38-17) of the night with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter when Oklahoma State signee Quion Williams canned a three-pointer. The hosts led 44-25 after three quarters. A Deion Buford layup with 2:31 left in regulation gave Jonesboro its largest lead (54-29) of the night. "I thought with us forcing those turnovers, we should have have a much better offensive output," said Swift. "I thought at times if we slowed our pace down a little bit, we could have made a few more shots, but I'll take this, too." Jesse Washington led all scorers with 17 points, while Williams hit for 11. Cheers paced Marion with 16 points, while Forrest scored 13. Marion plays Friday night at West Memphis with tip scheduled for approximately 7:30. The boys and girls varsity games will be streamed live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.