PARAGOULD --- The Marion bench rose as soon as senior guard Aaliyah Taylor caught the basketball open in the corner. Marion's healthy road crowd did the same as Taylor sent the ball towards the hoop on a collision course to glory. The ball dropped through the net to complete a 10-0 second-period run that got Marion within 23-20, but the significance of the moment felt bigger. The Lady Pats trailed 26-22 at halftime, but dominated after the break, limiting No. 22 Paragould to just six field goals in the third and fourth quarters to take down a crucial 53-40 victory at Doc Paynter Court. Marion's third straight victory evened the Lady Pats' 5A East mark at 3-3. Should the season end today, Marion would qualify for the state tournament again, this season in Pine Bluff. Taylor paced the Lady Pats (6-16 overall, 3-3 5A East) with 19 points off the bench, including nine in the second quarter. Brianna Dyson scored 10 points with three assists, while Kiera Neal added eight points, six rebounds, and three blocks. Paragould (13-6, 4-2) got 17 points and eight rebounds from Keimauri Brown and 13 points from Hadlee Defries. Paragould jumped Marion in the first quarter, hitting the visitors with an 11-4 run, sparked by nine points from Brown, as Paragould took an 11-6 lead. The Lady Rams took their first double-digit lead of the game on the final play of the first quarter when a Defries three-pointer beat the buzzer and the Lady Rams led 19-8 to start the second stanza. The Lady Rams pushed their lead to 13 points when Brown made a pair of free throws for a 21-8 bulge, but that's when Marion pushed back. Marion immediately took off on a 12-2 run, including eight straight from Taylor, and Paragould's halftime lead was just 26-22. Paragould enjoyed a 31-29 lead following a Defries runner with 1:04 left in the third period, but Taylor gave Marion its first lead (32-31) since 2-0 when she drew contact on a layup and converted an old-fashioned three-point play. The Lady Pats led 37-31 after three quarters following a layup from Dyson and a Kiera Neal three-pointer. Marion led 41-36 midway through the fourth quarter when Brown scored six straight Paragould points to get the hosts within 43-40, but the Lady Pats did not allow Paragould to score over the game's final 3:01. Dyson scored the next four points before an Alyse Holliman layup, and Ny'Asia Jackson scored the game's final four points to clinch the final. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion concludes its first voyage through 5A East action on Friday night when the Lady Pasts host conference newcomer Valley View (7-10 overall, 2-5 5A East) at Fidelity Bank Arena. The girls game will tip around 6 p.m. And that contest will broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM JANUARY 24 Marion 53, Paragould 40 Batesville 49, Searcy 46 Nettleton 38, Valley View 27 W. Memphis 63, Greene Co. Tech 32 5A EAST STANDINGS (Top four make playoffs) SCHOOL CONF. RECORD W. Memphis 6-0 Nettleton 4-2 Paragould 4-2 Marion 3-3 Greene. Co. Tech 3-3 Searcy 2-4 Valley View 1-5 Batesville 1-5