WEST MEMPHIS --- Over the course of her decade-plus on Marion's sideline as head girls basketball coach, Shunda Johnson's reputation across the state is that her teams improve drastically as the season grinds on. That her teams are better in February and March than they are in December and January. It's early yet in 2024, but Johnson's Lady Patriots seem to be following that same pattern. Case in point, Marion's wild 59-55 come-from-behind victory last Friday night inside West Memphis's Lehr Arena. In a topsy-turvy type of contest, Marion led 13-9 after the first period, but West Memphis charged back to lead 31-20 at halftime. The Lady Patriots bounced back in a big way in the third period, pulling even at 42 entering the fourth quarter before opening the final frame on an 8-2 run and closed out the four-point victory. Marion (15-7 overall, 5-3 5A East) got a game-high 22 points from sophomore Jada Cheers, 10 points and six assists from senior all-state point guard Ny'Asia Jackson, and nine points apiece from junior forwards Maryah Rucks and Joniya Lewis. West Memphis tumbled to 14-8 and 5-3 despite getting 15 points from Aniya Price, 13 points and 14 rebounds from Tyra Taylor, and 10 points from Alayah Price. The Marion victory made a crowded 5A East state tournament picture even murkier, as the Lady Pats pulled into a third-place tie with West Memphis, and Marion now owns the fourth and final playoff spot from the league all by its lonesome. Further, Marion and West Memphis are only one game behind second-place Searcy. Marion plays at Searcy on Friday night. The Lady Patriots fashioned a 13-9 lead after one quarter on the back of some hot three-point shooting. The visitors connected on three of eight triples in the first eight minutes, beginning when Jackson hit from the wing, Cheers hit from the corner, and Jalee Meeks hit from the top of the key. Marion led 13-7 at one point of the first quarter before an Alayah Price runner got the hosts within 13-9 to open the second period. West Memphis turned the tide in the second stanza by applying a press, forcing Marion into seven second-quarter turnovers, many of which led to layups. The Lady Blue Devils took off for a 13-0 run midway through the second frame, a spurt that began when Alayah Price hit back-to-back runners, Aniya Price hit a jumper from the free-throw line, Alayah Price converted a three-point play, Aniya Price hit a long two-pointer, and finalized when Presley McPherson hit a jumper in transition as West Memphis earned a 29-16 advantage with 1:24 left in the first half, and West Memphis enjoyed a 31-20 halftime lead. But Marion tightened the screws on its own defense in the third period, turning the Lady Blue Devils over seven times and racking up six offensive rebounds in the penultimate frame. The Lady Pats embarked on a 12-0 run of their own in the third, spearheaded by a Cheers layup, a Jackson triple, layups from Rucks and Lewis, and when Ayanna Hayes scored in the paint, Marion was within 40-37 with 1:15 left in the third. A Jackson three-pointer beat the third-period buzzer and set the stage for a frantic fourth quarter with the two Crittenden County rivals knotted at 42 entering the final frame. A long Hayes two-pointer opened the scoring in the fourth quarter and gave Marion its first lead since early in the second period. The Lady Pats added on by mostly limiting West Memphis to one possession on offense, and the visitors pushed their lead to 48-42 when Cheers scored baskets on consecutive possessions. West Memphis recorded its first points of the fourth quarter on a Tyra Taylor layup with 5:10 left in regulation and the hoop got the Lady Blue Devils within 48-44, and the hosts got within 50-48 when Daniah Horne hit a three-pointer, drew a foul, and sank the free throw with 4:24 remaining. Clutch baskets from Lewis and Jackson gave Marion a 55-49 lead late in the fourth, but runners by Tyra Taylor and Aniya Price got West Memphis within 55-53 with 1:10 left. Jackson closed West Memphis out by hitting a floater for a four-point lead and hitting two of four free throws down the stretch to clinch the final. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion continues its most significant stretch of the 2023-2024 season this week with a Tuesday road trip to Nettleton, and a Friday visit to Searcy. Both games will tip around 6 p.m. with the girls game, followed by the boys game at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Nettleton and Searcy games will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/2 Marion 59, W. Memphis 55 Greene Co. Tech 40, Nettleton 38 Batesville 54, Valley View 48 Searcy 52, Paragould 34 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/5 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Greene Co. Tech 8-0 Searcy 6-2 Marion 5-3 W. Memphis 5-3 Nettleton 4-4 Batesville 2-6 Valley View 2-6 Paragould 0-8 5A EAST GAMES ON 2/6 Marion at Nettleton W. Memphis at Searcy Greene Co. Tech at Batesville Paragould at Valley View