SEARCY --- Many natives around town here are going to miss Lion Gymnasium when it moves into its brand-new arena in the fall. Just don't count Marion coach David Clark as one of them. Clark's troops have made quick work of league opponents so far in 2023, but Searcy ambushed Marion on Friday night, pushing the top-ranked Patriots to the wire before Marion earned a tight 52-46 victory. “We knew this was going to be a big test coming here tonight,” said Marion coach David Clark. “It’s a great basketball atmosphere, it gets loud, they play well at home, and most importantly, they’re pretty good. We are glad to get this one.” Marion (21-6 overall, 10-0 5A East) won by shining the glass at Searcy (15-10, 5-5). The Pats outrebounded the Lions 30-14 in the game, leading to several second-chance points. Marion sophomore guard Lyndell Buckingham paced the Pats in scoring for a fourth straight outing, finishing with a game-high 20 points to go with four assists and three steals. Marion junior Jalen White scored 11 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots, while Kayden Nesbitt finished with 8 points and 7 boards. Jayden Duffy paced Searcy with 15 points, followed by Isaiah Carlos’s 14, and 7 from Bryce Theobald. Searcy’s zone defense stymied Marion until David Brewer gave the Pats their first lead when he converted an offensive rebound into a layup for a 6-4 advantage. Marion’s lead hit 13-7 when Jermiah Miller turned a steal into a layup but Searcy got jumpers from Carlos and Duffy to work within 13-11 after a quarter. The Lions hit the Pats with an 8-0 run early in the second stanza to claim a 19-15 advantage with 3:08 left in the half. Brewer appeared to give Marion the halftime lead with a three-pointer that beat the shot clock with 15.7 seconds left, but Duffy canned a contested triple of his own to beat the halftime buzzer and the hosts had fashioned a 24-22 lead into the break. “We didn’t play our usual brand of defense in the first half,” said Clark. “Searcy played well, but I didn’t like our intensity early on, but we picked it up in the second half.” Marion also picked up its rebounding in the third, pulling down 7 offensive rebounds while Martavius Davis and Buckingham scored 4 points apiece to give the Pats a 32-31 lead entering the fourth quarter. White went to work in the fourth quarter, scoring the five 5 points of the frame, and when White’s offensive board led to a Nesbitt layup, the Pats had their largest lead at 39-31 with 6:06 left. A Buckingham triple and layup staked Marion to a 44-36 lead with 7:18 left, but three-pointers on back-to-back possessions from Theobald and Carlos, followed by a short Carlos jumper got the Lions within 44-41 with 1:37 remaining. A pair of Buckingham free throws immediately preceded a White steal and dunk that gave the Pats a 51-44 lead with less than 16 seconds left. Marion exits Lion Gymnasium with three straight victories since a controversial 2020 loss, but all were close. The Pats pulled away in the fourth quarter in 2021 to a 59-43 victory, but it was just a four-point advantage entering the fourth period. Last year's contest saw Marion hit all nine of its free throws in the game's final 1:02 for a 56-51 victory. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Batesville (5-21 overall, 1-9 5A East) on Tuesday inside Fidelity Bank Arena. The girls game will tip around 6 p.m., followed by the boys around 7:30. Both Batesville contests will be broadcast on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. MARION'S MAGIC NUMBER Marion's magic number to clinch the 5A East dropped to two following its victory Friday night at Searcy. Any combination of Marion wins and Nettleton losses move the Pats closer to the league crown. Marion swept the season series against Nettleton, meaning that the Pats would finish ahead of the Raiders if those teams are tied. Marion last won a conference title in 2019. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM FEBRUARY 10 Marion 52, Searcy 46 Nettleton 55, W. Memphis 46 Paragould 57, Batesville 51 Greene Co. Tech 62, Valley View 47 5A EAST RESULTS AS OF FEBRUARY 11 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top 4 qualify for state tournament in Pine Bluff) Marion 10-0* Nettleton 8-2 Searcy 5-5 Paragould 5-5 Greene Co. Tech 4-6 Valley View 4-6 W. Memphis 3-7 Batesville 1-9 *clinched state tournament berth