After finishing as the Hot Springs Trojan Invitational runners-up the past two years, the Marion Lady Patriots invaded the spa city last week with business on their minds. In a three-game whirlwind, Marion ripped past Maumelle (59-19) on Thursday, Magnolia (64-48) in Friday's semifinal, and dominated in the second half of Saturday afternoon's tournament final, beating Class 6A's Bentonville West 61-49 for the 2023 Trojan Invitational title. Marion senior point guard Ny'Asia Jackson earned tournament MVP honors. Marion improves to 5-1 after the three-game showcase and the Lady Pats pursue their sixth consecutive win Tuesday night when they welcome Class 6A juggernaut Conway to Fidelity Bank Arena. The Lady Pats opened their tournament run on Thursday evening by rolling past Maumelle as eight players scored for Marion. Sophomore Madison Glaspie led all scorers with 17 points, junior Z'Kya Cheers hit 14 points, Jackson scored nine, and Jada Cheers poured in eight points. Marion slapped together an excellent all-around game in the tournament semifinals against Magnolia. Junior forward Joniya Lewis led the way for the Lady Pats with a team-high 16 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Jackson hit double-figures with 11 points against Magnolia, Jada Cheers hit nine, and Z'Kya Cheers added seven. Marion erased a slim halftime deficit of the tournament title game against Bentonville West, scoring 38 points after the break to earn its third double-digit victory in as many days for the crown. Jada Cheers paced the Lady Pats with 15 points, while all of Jackson's 13 points came after halftime. Ayanna Hayes and Lewis added 11 points. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Conway on Tuesday, December 5, with the junior varsity girls contest tipping at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel and MarionPatriots.com.