JONESBORO --- Playing at a hostile road environment for the third Friday in a row proved to be too much for the Marion Lady Patriots. Jonesboro jumped Marion last Friday night at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium, leading by as many as 15 points early in the third quarter before holding on for a key 54-47 victory. The conquest leaves Jonesboro (11-7 overall) in first place all by its lonesome with a 6-1 league mark. Marion (14-6) falls to 5-2 in 5A East play following its second loss in three outings. Marion will not play Tuesday night and will return to league action Friday night at Crittenden County rival West Memphis. Jonesboro forced 16 Marion turnovers and limited the Lady Pats into a three-of-19 shooting performance in the first half as JHS fashioned a 34-12 halftime lead. Marion took its only lead of the game early in the first quarter when senior forward Daedrianna Cail split a pair of free throws with 5:23 in the opening stanza for a 3-2 advantage. The Jonesboro response was swift, as the Lady Golden Hurricane made three-pointers on three consecutive possessions for an 11-3 lead with 3:18 left in the first to force a Marion timeout. The stoppage did little to turn away Jonesboro as the hosts run reached 15-0 with 1:15 left in the opening stanza. Jonesboro led 19-5 after the first quarter. The Lady Golden Hurricane took their first 20-point lead (30-10) of the game when Destiny Thomas hit a layup with 1:18 left in the second quarter, and the hosts enjoyed a 34-12 bulge at the break. Jonesboro claimed its largest lead (40-15) when Thomas hit a layup at the 4:42 mark of the third quarter, and the Lady Golden Hurricane settled for a 48-27 lead after three frames. That's when Marion made a bid to get back into the contest, forcing eight Jonesboro turnovers in the final frame, turning four immediately into high-percentage shots. Cail stood out in the fourth, scoring eight points, while Alyse Holliman hit for five to spur the rally. Marion made seven of 14 shots in the final frame. A Cail layup got Marion within 10 points with 1:31 remaining, while a Ny'Asia Jackson three-pointer got the Pats within seven points with 18.4 seconds remaining to set the final. Ereauna Hardaway scored a game-high 18 points for Jonesboro, while Thomas hit for 13 points and nine rebounds. Allannah Orsby added 11 points. Cail scored a team-high 17 points with nine rebounds for Marion, while Holliman posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Marion plays Friday night at West Memphis. Tip will be approximately 6 p.m., and the boys and girls varsity contests will be streamed live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.