JONESBORO --- It's never too early to start thinking about playoff positioning in the competitive 5A East girls basketball conference. Which is why the Marion Lady Patriots found themselves in a crucial spot last Friday night at Valley View. Entering play in a flat-footed tie with the Blazers on January 26, the hosts played well enough to fashion a 23-20 halftime lead, but Marion rallied after halftime, forcing 14 turnovers and turning many into points to pull away for a 65-54 victory inside Blazer Arena. In addition to Marion's (11-7 overall, 3-3 5A East) defensive mastery, which helped the visitors force 23 total turnovers at Valley View, and outrebounded the Lady Blazers (10-10, 2-4) 27-22. The victory moved Marion into a tie with Nettleton for the fourth and final playoff spot from the 5A East at this year's state tournament, and the Lady Pats defeated the Lady Raiders earlier this season in overtime. Marion closes its first run through 5A East play on Tuesday night at home against Batesville (11-9, 1-4). Marion won behind senior all-state performer Ny'Asia Jackson's team-high 22 points and seven assists, while Madison Glaspie hit for 17 points and six rebounds, and Jada Cheers added 12 points, including 10 after halftime. Valley View got a game-high 25 points from Bonnie Fagan and 20 from Annika Willbanks, but no other Lady Blazer recorded more than Madison Fischer's four points. Marion ripped off a 7-0 run in the first quarter to lead 12-4 before settling for a 12-8 lead after Willbanks and Fagan scored in the quarter's final 30 seconds. Valley View closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run to claim a 23-20 halftime lead. The Lady Blazer run featured five points from Willbanks, three from Fagan, and one from Fischer. Marion scored the first four points of the third quarter when Jackson twice scored on layups, and the Lady Patriots took the lead for good midway through the third period when Jackson hit a long three-pointer for a 31-29 lead. The bonus jumper sparked an 11-2 Marion run, featuring a Cheers jumper, a Glaspie layup, a Jackson stickback, and a Cheers reverse layup that gave the visitors a 39-31 lead, and the Lady Pats finished the third period with a 50-37 lead. Valley View hit Marion with an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to get within 57-51, but Glaspie scored four in a row, Cheers scored in the paint, and Jackson hit a pair of free throws to close out the game. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Batesville on Tuesday night inside Fidelity Bank Arena, and the varsity girls contest will tip at approximately 6 p.m., followed by the boys game around 7:30 p.m. The Batesville ballgames will be broadcast on MarionPatriots.com and the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/26 Marion 65, Valley View 54 Greene Co. Tech 61, Paragould 18 Searcy 44, Nettleton 35 W. Memphis 68, Batesville 60 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 1/29 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Greene Co. Tech 6-0 Searcy 5-1 W. Memphis 4-2 Marion 3-3 Nettleton 3-3 Valley View 2-4 Batesville 1-5 Paragould 0-6 Top four teams make state tournament 5A EAST GAMES ON 1/30 Batesville at Marion Greene Co. Tech at Searcy Valley View at W. Memphis Nettleton at Paragould