PARAGOULD --- Paragould's expert rim protection and swarming guard play conspired to sink Marion on Tuesday night at Doc Paynter Gym. Playing its fourth game without its leading scorer and rebounder, Marion's (19-9 overall, 9-4 5A East) offense struggled at Paragould (16-8, 8-5), committing 13 turnovers and making just one of seven field goals in the first half, as the Lady Rams galloped to a 52-39 victory. Marion did not make a field goal in the ballgame until junior forward Alyse Holliman scored on a layup with 39.8 seconds left in the first half. By that time, the hosts led 34-11 en route to a 38-12 halftime lead. Marion made a game of it in the second half, scoring the first six points of the third quarter, four from Holliman, and a layup from senior Jessica Robins, but Paragould maintained a 49-26 lead into the fourth quarter. The Lady Pats got two points apiece from Robins, Holliman, Ny'Asia Jackson, and Taylor to spark an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter to get with 49-34 with 3:10 remaining in regulation. Marion drew closer when Jackson canned a three-pointer and Kiera Neal scored a layup with less than a minute on the clock to get the Lady Pats within 13 points with 34.7 seconds remaining. The Lady Pats forced a turnover on Paragould's final possession and dribbled the clock out, which could prove significant in the event of a tiebreaker. Marion beat Paragould by 13 points in January at Fidelity Bank Arena, and Paragould earned a season split on Tuesday, winning by 13 points at home. Using the tiebreaker rules that the Arkansas Activities Association put in place, teams will qualify for the state tournament based on conference record first. If two teams have the same conference record, then ties will be broken by the season head-to-head conference results. If the teams split the two season meetings, then the margin of victory between the two schools is used. If that is even then the AAA will seek out tiebreaker points in all other conference victories. Currently, Marion leads Paragould 69-60 in the third tiebreaker scenario, with a one-game lead entering the final regular-season game. Marion hosts Jonesboro on Friday night at Fidelity Bank Arena, while Paragould hosts heated county rival Greene County Tech. Tech topped Paragould 51-47 in January. The first half was all Paragould, as the hosts hit Marion with a 9-2 run from the jump to force a Marion timeout with 3:50 left in the first quarter. The Lady Ram run hit 13-2 as the first quarter concluded. Paragould earned its first 20-point lead of the night when senior guard Carson Defries hit a runner for a 22-2 advantage with 5:01 left in the second quarter, and the Lady Rams led 38-12 at halftime when Sam Wood's three-pointer dropped through the net with less than a second showing on the second-period clock. Paragould's Keimauri Brown led all scorers with 18 points to go along with her nine rebounds. Defries scored 12 points, while Wood hit for nine. Holliman powered Marion with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jackson scored 10 and Neal added nine. Marion hosts Jonesboro on Friday for senior night. The girls game will tip at 6 p.m., followed by senior night festivities, which will lead into the boys game. Both varsity games, and senior night festivities, will be streamed live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.