For two quarters last Friday night, everything went to plan for Marion against top-ranked Jonesboro at Fidelity Bank Arena. The fightin' Pats harassed the Golden Hurricane into two of 17 shooting from the field, forced eight turnovers, blocked five shots, and enjoyed a 12-7 rebounding advantage. Marion led 15-6 at the break as the partisan crowd swayed with excitement. However, Jonesboro hit the comeback trail after halftime, forcing a 23-all tie after three quarters, and scoring the game's final 11 points to earn a 37-30 victory. Jonesboro (24-3 overall, 14-0 5A East) finishes the regular season as the No. 1 seed from the 5A East, while Marion (23-7, 11-3) settles for the No. 2 playoff seed. Marion opens its run at the Class 5A State tournament at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Sheridan against Hot Springs Lakeside. Every Marion state tournament game will be streamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. “It was a great atmosphere for high school basketball here tonight,” said fourth-year Marion coach David Clark. “Considering who they are and who we are, it was a great game.” Marion hit Jonesboro with a 10-2 run to close the first quarter, including eight points from junior Donnie Cheers, and the hosts enjoyed a 12-4 advantage after eight minutes. The Pats opened up their first 10-point lead of the night when Ryan Forrest hit a floater with 7:31 left in the second quarter. Neither team scored in the last 4:18 of the second quarter and Marion hit the lockers ahead 15-6. “We wanted to start defending the way we're going to have to in the state tournament,” said Clark. “This is a great look at how state tournament basketball will be. How it'll be played, how it'll be officiated, and what we'll have to do to win.” Jonesboro struck back behind senior Oklahoma State signee Quion Williams, who scored 12 points in the third quarter and hit for 17 of his game-high 19 points after halftime. Williams scored seven straight third-period points to get the Golden Hurricane within 18-17 with 4:05 left in the stanza, and Jonesboro forced a pair of ties in the third quarter to open the fourth quarter even with Marion 23 apiece. Marion scored the first three points of the fourth quarter when Cheers connected on a free throw and Forrest hit a runner, but Jonesboro's Jesse Washington quickly answered with a three-pointer to tie the game at 26 with 4:21 remaining in regulation. Marion junior guard Jayden Forrest hit a cutting Cheers on the baseline for a layup with 4:03 left to push the Pats back in front, and when freshman Terrrion Burgess snatched an offensive rebound and went straight back up for a stickback with 3:16 left, Marion led 30-26, with momentum fully on the side of the hosts. But Marion wouldn't score again. The winning Jonesboro run started when Williams scored five consecutive points, and his free throw with 2:20 remaining gave Jonesboro its second lead of the game, the first since 1-0 in the first quarter. Washington canned a triple on Jonesboro's ensuing possession, and the Golden Hurricane made three of six free throws in the final 1:23 to escape Marion intact. “He (Williams) stepped up to the plate and made the plays they needed when they needed them,” said Clark. “We had guys step up tonight too, they got the ball to bounce their way a little more than we did.” Williams amassed a game-high 19 points, while Washington added 10. Ryan Forrest paced the Pats with 14 points, while Cheers added 11.