Many pundits from around the state were unsure what this year's Marion girls basketball team was going to look like on the court. After all, Marion graduated eight seniors from last year's team and returned just one starter this winter. Marion got an early opportunity to take down a resume win last Friday night with defending 5A East champion West Memphis in town. The Lady Pats played well enough to lead at halftime, late in the fourth quarter, and twice in overtime, but the Lady Blue Devils finished the contest on a 9-2 run to escape Fidelity Bank Arena with a 63-57 victory in front of a healthy crowd. Marion (8-5 overall, 0-1 5A East) got 22 points and six assists from senior all-state point guard Ny'Asia Jackson, 12 points from Z'Kya Cheers, and nine from Jada Cheers, while Z'Kya Cheers finished with seven rebounds. West Memphis improved to 10-6 and 1-0 behind Alaiyah Price's game-high 23 points, while her sister Aniyah Price chipped in with 14, while Tyra Taylor added 14 points and six rebounds. The Lady Blue Devils scored first in the overtime period when Aniyah Price split a pair of free throws, but Marion sophomore Madison Glaspie gave Marion its first overtime lead when she canned a short jumper for a 53-52 advantage with 3:12 left in the extra frame. A Taylor layup pushed the Lady Blue Devils back up 54-53, but Glaspie gave the hosts the advantage again when she turned an offensive rebound into a layup with 2:17 remaining. Alayah Price tied the game when she split a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and she came up with a steal that she turned into a layup for a 57-55 lead with 1:24 left. Aniyah Price split a pair of charities on the next West Memphis possession, and when Alayah Price hit both free throws, West Memphis led 60-57 with 31.4 left. An Aniyah Price three-point capped the scoring in favor of the visitors. West Memphis led 12-10 after the first quarter, but Marion scored the last 5 points of the second quarter to take a 20-16 lead to halftime. The Lady Blue Devils hit the Lady Pats with a 19-3 run in the third quarter to lead by as many as 12 points before settling for a 39-30 lead entering the fourth frame. The run began with a pair of Aniyah Price free throws and stretched out when Lalia Taylor hit a layup, leading to a pair of jumpers from the Price sisters to lead 25-20. A Tyra Taylor layup and an Aniya Price runner gave the Lady Blue Devils their biggest lead of the night at 35-23. Marion got back into it by forcing five early turnovers in the fourth quarter, and a Jackson runner gave the Lady Pats their first lead (49-48) since the third period with a layup with 3:15 left in regulation. Alayah Price converted an old-school three-point play for a 51-49 West Memphis lead with 2:02 left, but Jada Cheers tied the game at 51 with a runner with 49.4 left, leading to overtime. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion continues 5A East play on Tuesday night when Nettleton invades Fidelity Bank Arena. The junior varsity boys contest will tip off at 5 p.m., followed by the girls varsity game around 6 p.m., and the varsity boys game will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Nettleton game will be broadcast list on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/5 W. Memphis 63, Marion 57 (overtime) Valley View 58, Batesville 47 Searcy 57, Paragould 28 Greene Co. Tech 56, Nettleton 48 5A EAST STANDINGS PRIOR TO 1/12 GAMES SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Greene Co. Tech 1-0 Searcy 1-0 W. Memphis 1-0 Valley View 1-0 Marion 0-1 Batesville 0-1 Nettleton 0-1 Paragould 0-1 5A EAST GAMES ON 1/12 Nettleton at Marion Searcy at W. Memphis Valley View at Paragould Batesville at Greene Co. Tech