The calendar has flipped to March, which means it's time for the Marion Patriots to open their respective runs at a state basketball championship. And interestingly enough, the boys and girls play the same school, Hot Springs Lakeside, in the first round at Sheridan High School in Grant County. All of Marion's state tournament games will be streamed live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. The boys game tips at approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, with the girls following at 7 p.m. Should both teams advance, the Marion boys would play in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 8:30 against the winner of the Russellville-Jacksonville game. The Lady Pats would play at 1 p.m. on March 4, also against Jacksonville-Russellville. Should both teams qualify for the semifinals, those games would be Saturday, March 6. The Marion Lady Patriots (19-10 overall, 9-5 5A East) are in the state tournament for the ninth time in 10 seasons under Coach Shunda Johnson. Johnson's Lady Patriots have advanced to the semifinal four times in her previous nine seasons, winning the Class 6A state title in 2016-2017. “We don't feel like we've turned the corner yet,” said Johnson. “We haven't played our best basketball yet. We've been talking about resting, playing defense, and gang rebounding the last few days.” Johnson and assistant coach Renaldo Clay started watching film of HS Lakeside over the weekend. The Lady Rams finished the regular season 17-12 overall and 11-3 in the 5A South. Lakeside finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. The Marion boys (23-7, 11-3) are in the state tournament for the 18th consecutive season, including the last four under Coach David Clark. Clark's first team won the 2019 Class 5A state championship, and his 2020 team advanced to the semifinals. Hot Springs Lakeside enters play on Wednesday evening sporting a 21-11 record, including a 10-4 mark in the 5A South.