BATESVILLE --- At times this season, the Marion Patriots have flashed periods of defensive dominance. Tuesday night at Batesville, Marion slapped together four quarters of championship defensive effort. Kicking off a stretch of three games in four days that will ultimately determine its state tournament fate in March, Marion bullied Batesville at Pioneer Gymnasium, allowing the Pioneers to make just six of 38 shots from the floor to pull away for a 53-27 victory. Offensively, Marion bridged the first and second quarters with a 17-0 run to take control of the game for good. Marion improved to 21-5 overall and 9-1 in 5A East play with its conquest at Batesville, which falls to 4-18 and 0-11. With the victory, Marion clinches a state tournament berth for the 18th consecutive season. Marion last missed the big dance in 2003-2004. The Patriots have advanced to the semifinals six times since returning to the state tournament in 2005, winning the 2019 Class 5A state title. Batesville battled early on Tuesday, taking a 5-4 lead on a Cory Cothrine free throw with 4:04 left in the first quarter. Junior guard Donnie Cheers sparked the 17-0 Patriot run when he scored back-to-back layups before Ryan Forrest recorded a steal and notched a layup of his own for a 10-5 Marion advantage, to force a Batesville timeout. The stoppage did little to quell the Marion attack as Jayden Forrest ripped a steal and turned it into a layup on the possession before Ryan Forrest split a pair of free throws. The 9-0 Marion run to cap the first quarter gave the visitors a 13-5 lead after eight minutes. The Marion advantage swelled to 21-5 early in the second quarter after Kayden Nesbitt canned a pair of free throws, Darrion Love hit a layup, Cheers added a runner, just before Jayden Forrest scored a reverse layup with 3:44 left in the second quarter. Marion limited Batesville to three of 21 shooting in the first half and led 25-9 at the break. The Pats took their first 20-point lead of the game early in the third period when Omarion Jefferson hit a layup with 6:20 left in the third, and Marion carried a 40-17 advantage into the fourth quarter. Marion triggered the sportsmanship rule midway through the fourth quarter when senior Donte Moore powered the Pats to to a 51-21 lead. Cheers and Ryan Forrest each scored 13 points, while Love hit for five. Logan McSpadden paced Batesville with 11 points, while Talon Foree added five. Marion continues its week Thursday at West Memphis. The girls game will tip at approximately 6 p.m., followed by the boys contest around 7:30 p.m. Both games will be streamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.