The Marion Patriots hit the floor last Friday night sporting its new warmups that were designed for last season's Final Four participants. Once they were ready for action, the Patriots played like one of the elite teams in the state. Marion hit 11 of its first 12 shots from the floor, including its first seven, to coast to a 56-32 victory Friday night over Searcy at Fidelity Bank Arena in 5A East action. Marion's (14-6 overall, 3-0 5A East) sixth straight win against Searcy moved the Patriots into sole possession of first place in the 5A East on the contributions of Donnie Cheers, III, and Lyndell Buckingham's game-high 13 points apiece, while Jalen White hit for eight points with five blocks. Trentyn Mead paced Searcy (12-6, 2-1) with 10 points, all in the fourth quarter, while Isaiah Carlos and David Theobald pumped in five each. "We've really been working our offense this week, and I thought you could see that tonight," said Marion coach David Clark. "We have been getting by on defense most of this year, but we know how dangerous we can be if we get our offense going, and tonight was a good start with that." Buckingham and Cheers combined to score Marion's first 12 points, by which time the hosts led 12-7 in the first quarter. A Cheers jumper sparked a 14-2 run to close the initial frame and Marion led 20-7 after eight minutes. The Marion run continued into the second stanza as the Pats scored 13 of the first 18 points, claiming a 33-14 lead on a pair of Anthony Wilson free throws with 28.5 seconds remaining. A White stickback gave Marion a 35-16 advantage at halftime. In the first two quarters, Marion made 16 of its 24 field goal attempts, while winning the rebounding battle 16-6. The Pats took their first 20-point lead of the game on the initial bucket of the third quarter when Kayden Nesbitt scored on a layup, and the Marion lead reached 28 points (46-18) on a Buckingham dunk and three-point play with 1:44 left in the third. Marion led 46-21 after three. Marion took a 29-point lead (53-24) on a White layup with 5:29 left in the game, but Mead scored eight points down the stretch to get Searcy within the final tally. "It feels like everything is coming together at the right time, now we just have to keep our continuity going," said Clark. "Our kids are working hard, and playing smart basketball, and they just want to be successful." WHAT'S NEXT Marion continues conference action Tuesday night when the Patriots travel to play old AAAA East rival Batesville. The boys game will tip around 7:30, and it will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com. RANKINGS RUNDOWN Marion remains No. 1 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's comprehensive weekly rankings. Pine Bluff, Lake Hamilton, Nettleton, Maumelle, and Vilonia round out the Class 5A "Super Six" rankings, while the Patriots check in at No. 6in the ADG's overall state rankings. Marion remained No. 7 in this week's Scorebooklive.com overall Top 25 rankings. THREE CHEERS FOR DONNIE CHEERS For his excellent work in Marion's victories at Nettleton and against Searcy, Cheers earned Jonesboro news station KAIT's Fast Break Player of the Week honors over the weekend. Cheers, who is a Southeast Missouri State football signee, scored 31 points in Marion's victory last Tuesday at Nettleton before his 13-point performance in about three quarters against Searcy. 5A EAST RESULTS Marion 56, Searcy 32 Nettleton 57, West Memphis 35 Paragould 55, Batesville 42 Valley View 57, Greene Co. Tech 54 5A EAST STANDINGS SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 3-0 Nettleton 2-1 Searcy 2-1 Paragould 2-1 Valley View 2-1 Greene Co. Tech 1-2 Batesville 0-3 W. Memphis 0-3