Marion head boys basketball coach Emmanuel Wade promised fans and parents a smothering defensive team when he took over the program during the fall. His Patriots gave their followers a taste of it during holiday classics in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Carbondale, Illinois, but the potential of this club was on full display last Friday night. Opening 5A East play with Crittenden County neighbor West Memphis, Wade's Patriots stifled the Blue Devils from the jump, limiting the visitors to 21 percent shooting (eight of 38 from the floor), and forcing 16 turnovers in a 60-32 romp at Fidelity Bank Arena. Marion's (8-2 overall, 1-0 5A East) resounding victory was the 11th in 12 tries against West Memphis (7-10, 0-1), and the ninth straight Patriot victory over the south Crittenden County outfit. The Patriots now lead the all-time conference series with the Blue Devils 19-18. Ten Marion players scored for the hosts, and 12 Patriots grabbed rebounds. Seniors David Brewer and Ronnie Townsend paced the Pats with nine points apiece, while Daryan Selvy and Mikell Lewis chipped in with six points apiece. Lewis proved his meddle on the backglass, pulling down a game-high eight rebounds, while senior Kayden Nesbitt chipped in with seven. West Memphis got nine points apiece from De'Cambren Holmes and Daveon Glenn, but no other Blue Devil scored more than Kevius Woods' three points. The teams collaborated on a slow-paced opening quarter that saw West Memphis lead by as many as two points twice, and the game was tied at 6 after Brewer canned a three-pointer with 16.1 seconds left in the frame for a 9-6 Patriot advantage entering the second. The Pats twice took five-point leads in the second stanza, but West Memphis got within 14-13 on a pair of Craig free throws with 3:13 left in the first half. That's when Brewer hit a layup, leading to five straight Lyndell Buckingham points as Marion surged ahead 20-14, and the hosts led 22-16 at halftime. Marion took its first double-digit lead (26-16) of the night when LaDaryl Robinson scored on a layup with 6:20 left in the third, and the Pats led by as many as 17 points following a pair of stickbacks from Selvy, and the Pats coasted into the fourth quarter leading 38-25. The Pats opened the final frame on an 11-1 run, taking their first 20-point lead (46-26) when Chandler Randle hit a layup with 5:18 left, and the Marion lead plateaued at 28 points twice in the final frame, including the final score. 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 Marion 60, W. Memphis 32 Valley View 51, Batesville 26 Nettleton 65, Greene Co. Tech 57 Searcy 54, Paragould 50 5A EAST STANDINGS PRIOR TO 1/12 GAMES SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 1-0 Valley View 1-0 Nettleton 1-0 Searcy 1-0 Batesville 0-1 Greene Co. Tech 0-1 Paragould 0-1 W. Memphis 0-1 5A EAST GAMES ON 1/12 Nettleton at Marion Searcy at W. Memphis Valley View at Paragould Batesville at Greene Co. Tech