Many wondered how Marion would adjust to life without leading scorer Donnie Cheers, III, as he misses time with a foot injury. After all, the Patriots had to hold on for dear life on Tuesday night to escape an extremely competitive Nettleton team and had to circle the wagons for a rare back-to-back conference game on Wednesday against Crittenden County neighbor West Memphis. For whatever late-game drama there was against Nettleton, Marion was able to put West Memphis away early. The Patriots hit the Blue Devils with an 18-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters, as Marion coasted to a 57-28 victory. Marion's 10th victory in 11 tries against West Memphis was also the eighth in a row for the Patriots. The Patriots' largest victory ever over the Blue Devils also ensures that Marion's seniors will finish their careers undefeated against West Memphis unless the teams were to meet at this season's state tournament in Pine Bluff. The victory also doubled as Marion's (20-6 overall, 9-0 5A East) 20th win of the season and clinched a state tournament bid. “Our goal every year is to win the state tournament,” said Marion coach David Clark. “The first step to that is qualifying for the state tournament. This isn't our big goal, but it's a necessary step for us.” Marion won by allowing West Memphis to make just 11 of its 45 field-goal attempts (24 percent). The Patriots outrebounded West Memphis (6-18, 46) 38-19, and forced 15 West Memphis turnovers while giving it away just nine on its side. Marion got a game-high 20 points and five assists from sophomore guard Lyndell Buckingham, 12 by junior guard David Brewer, and 10 from Kayden Nesbitt in the victory. Jalen White scored eight points, racked up six rebounds, and blocked four shots for Marion. Max Reece paced West Memphis with six points, Kevion Brazile hit for five, and Johnny Washington, Jr. added four. West Memphis scored first when Reece connected on a three-pointer, but Buckingham immediately responded by making a pair of free throws on Marion's ensuing possession. Buckingham's charities kicked off the 18-point Marion barrage that continued when Jermiah Miller scored on a stickback, Nesbitt scored a layup, and Buckingham hit from three-point range on back-to-back possessions for a 12-3 Marion lead. When the sophomore split a pair of free throws, Marion led 13-3 after the first quarter. Marion missed all seven of its second-quarter field-goal attempts, but the Pats propped up their offense by connecting on nine of its 13 free throws in that stanza while also allowing West Memphis to make just three of its 10 attempts from the floor. The Patriots led 22-11 at halftime. West Memphis got within 31-21 late in the third period when Amarion Pulliam hit a layup, but Marion responded quickly again when Nesbitt split a pair of free throws just before Buckingham recorded a steal, raced to the other end for a layup while drawing contact. Buckingham's three-point play pushed the Pats back in front by 14 (35-21) with 3:35 left in the third. White added four points down the stretch, including a thunderous dunk, to cap the third period with the hosts ahead 42-23. A pair of White free throws gave Marion its first 20-point lead (44-23) on the initial possession of the fourth quarter. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels on Friday to Searcy (15-9 overall, 5-4 5A East) to play the Lions. The girls game will tip around 6 p.m., followed by the boys game around 7:30, and each game will be shown on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. RANKINGS RUNDOWN Marion maintained the No. 1 spot this week in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's comprehensive Class 5A "Super Six" rankings, followed by Pine Bluff (17-6), Nettleton (18-6), Maumelle (16-9), Hot Springs (14-7), and Lake Hamilton (19-4). Marion stayed at No. 5 in this week's overall Top 10 rankings. ScoreBookLive.com ranked Marion No. 6 in its weekly Top 25 rankings. 5A EAST STANDINGS AS OF FEBRUARY 9 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top 4 make playoffs in Pine Bluff) Marion 9-0* Nettleton 7-2 Searcy 5-4 Paragould 4-5 Valley View 4-5 Greene Co. Tech 4-5 W. Memphis 4-5 Batesville 1-8 *clinched state tournament berth 5A EAST SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY 10 Marion at Searcy Greene Co. Tech at Valley View Paragould at Batesville W. Memphis at Nettleton