To win their second conference title in four seasons, the Marion Patriots must defend their home court in league play. Friday night against Searcy, the Pats did just that. Marion (20-5 overall, 8-1 5A East) made 60 percent of its shots from the floor against Searcy (13-11, 4-5) en route to a 74-37 victory. It was a far cry from the January meeting between the teams when Marion escaped with a 56-51 victory after trailing most of the game. Marion is now 6-0 at Fidelity Bank Arena this season, winning by an average of 28 points per game. The Pats have two home games remaining. Marion coach David Clark thinks the best could be ahead for the Pats. “We still haven't played a game with our whole team,” said Clark. “We've had a lot of guys available at different times, but as far as our whole roster at the same time, we just haven't seen that.” Marion hit Searcy with a 9-1 run early in the first quarter, and the Pats led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter when guard Darrion Love rattled home a three-pointer with less than two seconds left in the frame. Love's triple kicked off a 14-0 run that buried the Lions. That spurt featured four Patriots scoring points. Marion's lead reached 25-8 when junior guard Jayden Forrest hit a runner with 5:01 left in the second quarter. The Pats enjoyed a 33-14 halftime lead after connecting on seven of 10 field goals in the second stanza. “Our guys have been tested, and have responded to being in the fire,” said Clark of his team's contributions. “We have a great team now, but we feel the future is also bright.” A 10-1 run to open the third quarter put the game out of reach. Marion took its first 20-point lead of the game when Donnie Cheers logged a steal and a layup with 6:41 left in the third. Marion triggered the sportsmanship rule on senior guard Zyon Parnell's layup, which beat the third-quarter buzzer for a 60-30 advantage. Eleven Patriots scored against Searcy, led by Forrest's 13 points and six assists, freshman Terrion Burgess hit for 10 points, while Ryan Forrest and Martavius Davis each scored eight. Zyron Williams paced Searcy eight points, while Isaiah Carlos notched six points while Isaac Gardner hit for five. Marion travels Tuesday night to Batesville. The girls game will tip around 6 p.m., followed by the guys game around 7:30. Both contests will be streamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.