There didn't appear to be any panic when the Marion Lady Patriots opened conference play 0-3. After all, this veteran-laden squad knew how to navigate tough waters against familiar competition. The Lady Pats continued their surge up the 5A East standings on Friday night when they allowed Tech to make just five field goals over the game's final three quarters to take down a 45-39 victory at Fidelity Bank Arena. Additionally, Marion outrebounded Tech 28-24 for the game, including 10 offensive boards. Senior forward Kiera Neal paced the Lady Pats (5-13 overall, 2-3 5A East) with 15 points and eight rebounds, while classmate Alyse Holliman finished with 13 points and seven boards. Jacey Edrington gave Greene County Tech (16-5, 3-2) a lift with 13 points, while Ava Carter added nine. Tech rattled Marion in the first quarter by forcing seven turnovers and limiting the hosts to a 3-of-11 shooting performance as the Lady Eagles led 10-8 after the opening frame. Marion allowed Tech to make just 1 of its 6 attempts from the floor in the second quarter, but the visitors made 10 of 11 free throws in that frame to expand its lead to 22-15 at halftime. Edrington made all seven of her free throws in the second stanza and finished 11 of 12 from the stripe in the game. At halftime, Marion made eight of its 24 field goals (33 percent), while Tech was eight of 20, including three of seven from three-point range. The Lady Eagles had a slight (15-13) rebounding edge at the break, while Marion's defense intensified in the second quarter to allow the hosts to force 11 first-half turnovers while giving it up only seven times before halftime. The game turned in the third quarter when Greene County Tech managed to make just one of its nine field goal attempts, including an 0-for-6 showing from three-point range. As Tech struggled to find the range, Marion finally did so when Neal and Ny'Asia Jackson made three-pointers, and when sophomore Joniya Lewis canned a short jumper, Marion took its first lead of the game (25-24) with 2:57 left in the third. The Lady Pats enjoyed a 28-25 advantage entering the fourth frame. Tech twice trimmed the Marion lead to a single point in the decisive quarter, but Neal canned a pair of free throws with 6:17 remaining to push the Lady Pats back in front 30-27. A pair of Edrington charities got the visitors within 30-29 with 6:08 remaining, but baskets from Holliman and Neal, and a pair of free throws from Aya Johnson, sparked six straight Marion points. Seven consecutive Tech points got the Lady Eagles within 42-38 with 27.8 seconds left, but Jackson made a three-pointer to give Marion the cushion it needed. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels on Tuesday to play Paragould at historic Doc Paynter Court in a contest that will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. Paragould enters play at 10-5 overall and 4-1 in the 5A East. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM JANUARY 20 Marion 45, Greene County Tech 39 Nettleton 52, Batesville 47 Searcy 58, Valley View 52 West Memphis 60, Paragould 44 5A EAST STANDINGS SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top Four teams make state tournament) West Memphis 5-0 Paragould 4-1 Nettleton 3-2 Greene County Tech 3-2 Searcy 2-3 Marion 2-3 Valley View 1-4 Batesville 0-5