Marion coaches knew that they would need a fast start to defend their 5A East conference title of a season ago. So far, so good. Continuing an early stretch of home conference games against state-tournament and league title contenders, Marion improved to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the 5A East last Friday night with a businesslike 48-34 win over Searcy. The Patriots allowed the visiting Lions to make just 13 of 41 shots from the floor. Marion got enough offense from junior guard Lyndell Buckingham's game-high 16 points and six assists, while senior guard David Brewer chipped in 11 points, and sophomore LaDaryl Robinson finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Marion senior forward Kayden Nesbitt pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points. Searcy fell to 8-10 and 1-2, but got 11 points from Jayden Duffy, seven from Jakoby Banks, and six from Jaylen Clifton. "It's a really good thing we don't mind playing defense, because that's what won us the game here tonight," said first-year Marion coach Emmanuel Wade, who played college basketball at Ole Miss and led his native Marianna to the 2021 state championship. "Give our guys credit though, because when the game was close, they dug deep and got some stops, and I'm proud of them for that." Searcy ran out to an early 6-2 lead in the first period as Duffy and Clifton each canned three-pointers, but Marion finished the frame on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Robinson stickback dunk off an offensive rebound, a Jalen White free throw, and a Buckingham three-pointer that gave the hosts an 8-6 lead after eight minutes. The Lions again got back-to-back triples in the second stanza, this time by Clifton and Rickey Love, to take a 15-11 lead with 5:01 left in the first half, but a pair of Buckingham three-pointers followed by a layup allowed Marion to take a tight 20-18 advantage to halftime. Buckingham scored the first four points of the third quarter, but that sparked a 7-0 Searcy spurt that included a three-pointer from Trelyn Shepherd, and two layups from Gaines for a 25-24 lead. Three-pointers from Buckingham and Brewer bookended a Robinson runner, and that was enough to stake the Patriots to a 34-29 lead after three frames. Marion left the door open for Searcy in the fourth quarter, making just four of its 10 free-throw attempts, but the Lions obliged the Patriots in the same way, committing seven of their 18 turnovers in the fourth quarter. That helped the Patriots keep the Lions off the scoreboard for the first five minutes of the final frame, as the Marion lead finally hit double-digits (39-29) on a Buckingham jumper. Nesbitt pulled down five rebounds in the fourth quarter, turning two into three-point plays, to help prop up the Patriot offensive attack. "We preach attacking the glass, pulling down rebounds," said Wade. "That's how I can tell it's starting to sink in for us now because we did a great job there tonight, and it's really why we won the game." WHAT'S NEXT? Marion's home date with Batesville originally scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed due to the winter weather, but for now, Marion's 5A East road date at Greene County Tech is still on for Friday, January 19. That contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. Stay tuned to MPAN's socials for game updates all season long. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/12 Marion 48, Searcy 34 Valley View 56, Greene Co. Tech 44 Nettleton 62, W. Memphis 58 Paragould 53, Batesville 46 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 1/15 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 3-0 Valley View 3-0 Nettleton 2-1 Searcy 1-2 Greene Co. Tech 1-2 Paragould 1-2 W. Memphis 1-2 Batesville 0-3 Top 4 teams make state tournament in Searcy