WEST MEMPHIS --- The Marion Lady Patriots gained confidence while playing a brutal non-conference stretch so far this winter. Then MHS applied its skills to win its first league contest on Thursday night. Marion put together a quality fourth quarter inside Lehr Arena to outscore West Memphis 41-35 to improve to 11-6 overall and 1-0 in 5A East play ahead of a crucial home conference opener on Tuesday, January 14 against Nettleton. Marion got a game-high 17 points from sophomore Summer Morgan, while Madison Glaspie hit for 8 and Jada Cheers scored 7. Only four Lady Blue Devils scored, with Tyra Taylor leading the way with 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Alayiah Price added 11 points, Layla Taylor scored 5 and Preslee McPherson scored 3. Marion scored the game's first five points as Glaspie canned a three-pointer and Ayanna Hayes scored on a runner, and the Lady Pats closed the frame scoring 8 of the final 11 points for that 13-7 lead after eight minutes. The Marion lead hit 16-7 early in the second quarter after a Morgan runner, but West Memphis put the brakes on from there, barring Marion from the scoreboard for almost eight combined minutes of the second and third quarters. That allowed West Memphis to take its first lead (21-20) after a Tyra Taylor stickback late in the second quarter as the hosts held that slim one-point advantage at the break. A Taylor free throw with 22 seconds left in the third quarter gave the hosts a tight 29-28 lead after three quarters, but Marion took the lead for good with an 8-0 run to open the fourth, highlighted by four straight Glaspie free throws, and layups from Morgan and Cheers for a 36-29 lead with 5:30 left. West Memphis worked within 36-35 with 3:30 left following a Taylor layup, but Marion got a steal and layup from Cheers and a Morgan three-pointer with 48 seconds left to cap the scoring. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Nettleton on Tuesday, January 14 for a crucial 5A East contest inside Fidelity Bank Arena. The girls action will tip off around 6 p.m., followed by the boys game at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Nettleton girls and boys varsity games can be viewed for free on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, and on the MPAN mobile app. 5A EAST HOME OPENER EVENTS Marion's 5A East home opener on January 14 against Nettleton could set the tone for the conference season, and the gameday atmosphere will follow suit. Marion's band will perform at home basketball games this season, beginning with Nettleton. Bright Futures Marion will be selling clear bags branded with the Marion logo will be on sale during the game. Basketball games will be fun for students this winter with different themes for each opponent and full concession stands available. Public address announcer Tyler Bennett enhances the in-game entertainment with music, player introductions, and energy. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/9-1/10 Marion 41, W. Memphis 35 Greene Co. Tech 79, Paragould 32 Batesville at Valley View and Searcy at Nettleton postponed 5A EAST GIRLS STANDINGS AS OF 1/13 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 1-0 Greene Co. Tech 1-0 Batesville 0-0 Valley View 0-0 Searcy 0-0 Nettleton 0-0 Paragould 0-1 W. Memphis 0-1 5A EAST GAMES ON 1/14 Nettleton at Marion Searcy at Greene Co. Tech W. Memphis at Batesville Paragould at Valley View