Lady Raiders top Marion girls, 60-41

Nettleton girls defend home court, tie for 3rd in 5A East

By Chuck Livingston

Marion School District

JONESBORO — The race for the last two state tournament slots from the 5A East got even tighter on Tuesday night.

And not in the favor of the Marion Lady Patriots.

Marion entered play Tuesday night inside Nettleton’s Raider Gymnasium with a one-game lead over the Lady Raiders after topping the Jonesboro outfit earlier this season at home.

But Nettleton had all the answers this time, outrebounding Marion 41-24 and connecting on countless shots inside the paint to make 27 of 53 field goals to pull away for a 60-41 victory.

The Lady Raider victory, coupled with West Memphis’s loss at Searcy, creates a three-way logjam for the last two playoff spots from the 5A East as Marion, Nettleton, and West Memphis boast identical 5-4 conference records. Only the top four teams make this year’s state tournament, while leagueleading Greene County Tech (9-0 in the 5A East) and Searcy (7-2 5A East) look good to make the cut at this time. Nettleton improved to 19-6 overall and 5-4 in the 5A East thanks to a game-high 25 points and 17 rebounds from McKenzie Williams, while Summer Morgan and Donna Douglas hit 16 points apiece.

Marion (14-8, 5-4) got 12 points from Jada Cheers and 11 points from Madison Glaspie, but nobody else scored more than Ny’Asia Jackson’s five points.

The Lady Raiders hit Marion with an 11-2 run in the first quarter to take control of the game, and the hosts led

See MARION, page A10 MARION

From page A7

18-9 after a quarter.

Nettleton pushed its lead to 20-9 on the first hoop of the second period, but that’s when Marion hit the comeback trail in a big way.

Glaspie hit a layup, Ayanna Hayes canned a short jumper, and Maryah Rucks and Glaspie combined to make two of four free throws, when Glaspie turned an offensive rebound into a stickback, the Lady Pats had completed an 8-0 run to work within 20-17 in the second quarter.

The Lady Pats got even at 22 with 2:22 left in the first half when Jackson made a pair of free throws, but the hosts scored four of the last six firsthalf points to take a 26-24 lead to halftime.

Nettleton shined the glass in the third period, amassing 15 rebounds, including seven offensive caroms, and the Lady Raiders led 42-32 entering the fourth quarter.

That’s when the hosts ripped off a 122 run to take their first 20-point lead of the night and essentially end the game.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Marion continues 5A East play on Friday night when it travels to play Searcy. The varsity girls contest will tip off around 6:10 p.m., followed by the boys varsity at approximately 7:30 p.m. The girls and boys varsity contests at Searcy will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel.

FEB. 6 5A EAST RESULTS

Nettleton 60, Marion 41 Searcy 52, W. Memphis 42 Valley View 56, Paragould 24 Greene County Tech 47, Batesville 41

5A EAST STANDINGS

Greene County Tech 9-0 Searcy 7-2 Marion 5-4 Nettleton 5-4 West Memphis 5-4 Valley View 3-6 Batesville 2-7 Paragould 0-9