At a point of the season where a lot of teams may be prone to overlooking competition, the Marion Patriots are hitting the floor with rare vigor. The latest example came Friday night at Fidelity Bank Arena where the top-ranked Patriots perfectly meshed offense and defense over the game's first six minutes en route to a 58-23 conference victory over Valley View. Marion improved to 18-6 overall and 7-0 in the 5A East by scoring the contest's first 13 points and made it hold up on defense by forcing the visiting Blazers to miss their first nine shots from the floor, highlighted by junior Jalen White registering three of his game-high five blocks during that span. Marion sophomore guard Lyndell Buckingham logged a game-high 16 points to go along with five assists, David Brewer added 11 points, and Donnie Cheers checked in with nine points. "We did a great job tonight establishing ourselves on defense, pushing the basketball when we could, and taking good shots," said Marion coach David Clark. "It was one of our better all-around games. I'm proud of the guys right now because we have a nice little train going." Gavin Ellis sparked Valley View (6-10, 3-4) with seven points, while Carson Turley added six. White proved early on to be Valley View's biggest obstacle, as he blocked three of the Blazers' first nine misfires, including two on a single possession. “J. White played huge for us on defense,” said Clark. “He's always been an inside presence for us, and I think what happened tonight is he did block a few early on, and then they naturally don't drive to the hoop as hard as they might usually, knowing there's a big-time shot-blocker down there.” While White protected the rim, Buckingham got the scoring started with a three-pointer before assisting on baskets by Cheers, Brewer, and Mitrell Lewis, the latter giving Marion a 13-0 lead with 2:56 left in the first. Valley View cracked the scoreboard on Turley's three-pointer with 2:42 remaining, but Marion led 19-6 after the first eight minutes. The Marion run spilled into the second stanza as Brewer hit a layup and a jumper early in the frame, and when Buckingham hit Cheers on the baseline for a layup, the Patriots enjoyed their first 20-point lead (28-8) with 4:34 left in the second. Marion settled for a 32-13 halftime advantage. Marion limited Valley View to just three-of-22 shooting in the first half while the Pats made nine of their 25 attempts. Perhaps more impressively, eight players scored for Marion in the first half, with 10 total scorers for the game. "We have some outstanding players who are so competitive," said Clark. "These guys get after it daily in practice, and iron sharpens iron. A lot of times this year, our bench guys keep the score the same or add on to a lead, and it's huge to be able to play several guys and have no drop-off.” Marion put the game out of reach early in the third period, embarking on a 13-2 in the first five minutes of that frame and taking its first 30-point lead (45-15) when Cheers logged a steal and dunked it on the other end. The Patriot lead after three quarters was 52-21, which triggered the sportsmanship rule. The Pats made half of their 42 field-goal attempts against Valley View while winning the rebounding battle 31-13. The Pats forced 19 Valley View turnovers and committed just 11 of their own. WHAT'S NEXT? Following a league-wide open date on Tuesday, Marion returns to league action on Friday night when the Pats host Crittenden County rival West Memphis (6-16 overall, 3-4 5A East) at Fidelity Bank Arena. That contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network, and the boys game will tip off around 7:30. Marion has won nine of the last 10 meetings with West Memphis, including a 48-38 decision on January 6. RANKINGS RUNDOWN Marion held down the No. 1 spot again in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's comprehensive weekly Class 5A rankings. Pine Bluff (16-6), Lake Hamilton (19-3), Nettleton (17-5), Maumelle (14-9), and Hot Springs (13-7) round out the ADG's “Super Six” rankings. Marion moved up to No. 5 in the ADG's overall state rankings after spending the last month at No. 6. ScoreBookLive.com ranked Marion No. 7 the past three weeks in its Top 25 overall weekly state rankings. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM JANUARY 27 Marion 58, Valley View 23 Nettleton 57, Searcy 53 Paragould 47, Greene Co. Tech 43 W. Memphis 66, Batesville 43 5A EAST STANDINGS (Top 4 make playoffs) SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 7-0 Nettleton 6-1 Searcy 3-3 Valley View 3-4 Paragould 3-4 W. Memphis 3-4 Greene Co. Tech 2-5 Batesville 0-6