Some people panicked when the Marion Lady Patriots started 0-3 in conference play. After all, the last playoff team of a season ago from the 5A East finished 7-7, and MHS was almost halfway to that mark of seven losses without a victory. But since a devastating three-point home loss to Searcy, Marion has been a different team, a fact that was never more evident than Tuesday night's victory over Nettleton at Fidelity Bank Arena. The Lady Patriots allowed the Lady Raiders to make just 13 of their 54 field-goal attempts. Marion won the rebounding battle 36-29 while winning the turnover margin 17-13. It added up to a dominating 57-37 victory over Nettleton, avenging a January three-point loss at Raider Gym. In that contest, Marion led until the game's final minute, but Nettleton scored the game's final five points. The Lady Patriots (8-12 overall, 5-3 5A East) won their fifth consecutive game behind senior forward Kiera Neal's outstanding all-around final line of 20 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Brianna Dyson added 13 points, while Aya Johnson hit for seven. Nettleton fell to 18-4 and 6-3 despite 11 points and eight rebounds by Donna Douglas, eight from Aubrey Butler, and five from Kyla Williams. Marion took the lead for good with 3:39 left in the first quarter when Johnson's short jumper gave the hosts a 5-3 lead and allowed the Lady Pats to close the opening stanza out on a 9-2 run for a 12-5 lead after eight minutes. The Marion run continued into the second quarter with Neal turning an offensive rebound into a layup to start the scoring in that frame, just before Dyson came up with a steal near midcourt and converted it into a layup to give Marion its first double-digit lead (19-8) of the evening. Marion led 28-13 at halftime after Neal scored twice in the paint in the final 23 seconds of the second stanza. Nettleton pushed back early in the third, twice cutting the Marion lead to nine points, but Neal hit a layup, handed out an assist to Alyse Holliman, and found Dyson for a three-pointer as the Marion lead swelled to 40-24, which doubled as the tally after three. Marion scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to salt the game away, taking its first 20-point lead when Neal found an open Dyson for a jumper with 6:47 left in regulation. The largest Lady Patriot lead of the night was 24 on two occasions in the fourth period. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts league-leading and second-ranked West Memphis tonight (February 2) for a big girls game that will tip around 6 p.m. That contest will be also broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM JANUARY 7 Marion 57, Nettleton 37 Paragould 44, Valley View 25 Greene Co. Tech 53, Batesville 40 W. Memphis 57, Searcy 40 5A EAST STANDINGS AFTER JANUARY 7 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top 4 make the state tournament in Pine Bluff) W. Memphis 8-0 Paragould 7-2 Nettleton 6-3 Marion 5-3 Greene Co. Tech 4-5 Valley View 3-6 Searcy 2-7 Batesville 1-8