Marion Athletics -

JONESBORO --- The Marion Lady Patriots gave Nettleton all it wanted into the fourth quarter on Tuesday night before finally succumbing at Raider Gymnasium.

Marion got as close as four points in the fourth period before Nettleton embarked on the game's final run for a 75-57 5A East victory.

MHS junior guard Maliya Stallings logged a game-high 16 points for the visitors, while Zaryn Scofield chipped in 14 points, Summer Morgan scored 10, and Cortlyn Brown added eight.

Nettleton got a game-high 29 points, while Taylor Thomas hit for 14, Kaedyn Hardaway scored 11, and Sy'Mone Smith finished with 10.

Stallings and Cunningham stole the show in the first period as Stallings scored eight points in the opener, while Cunningham went off for 12 in the eight minutes, helping Nettleton to a 24-14 advantage after the first.

Scofield got it going in the second stanza, hitting for seven points, while the Lady Patriot defense limited Nettleton to just a three-of-15 showing from the field as the visitors got within 35-26 at halftime.

The third quarter was a tale of two runs, as Nettleton opened the frame on an 8-1 spurt to take a 16-point advantage, but Marion closed better, scoring the last 10 points to get within 56-51 to open the fourth frame.

Five Lady Patriots scored in the third, with Morgan scoring nine, Stalling coming up with six, and Scofield adding five.

In a frantic fourth quarter, Nettleton got seven points apiece from Cunningham and Takylah Marshall and six from Hardaway, as Marion made just two of its 16 field goals in the final quarter to allow the hosts to pull away.

Marion made 21 of 54 shots at Nettleton (39 percent) and logged 22 rebounds with 16 turnovers, while Nettleton made 27 of 52 shots (52 percent) with 38 rebounds and 16 turnovers.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion hosts Searcy on Friday night for another 5A East date. The girls varsity game will tip off around 6 p.m., followed by the boys varsity game at approximately 7:30.
If you can't attend the Marion-Searcy game, you can watch both varsity games for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.

5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/13
Nettleton 75, Marion 57
Greene Co. Tech 68, Searcy 35
Valley View 68, Paragould 51
Batesville 55, W. Memphis 24

5A EAST STANDINGS ON 1/14
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Greene Co. Tech 2-0
Nettleton 2-0
Valley View 2-0
Marion 1-1
Batesville 1-1
Paragould 0-2
W. Memphis 0-2
Searcy 0-2
Top four teams qualify for state tournament (site TBD)

5A EAST GAMES ON 1/16
Searcy at Marion
Nettleton at Greene Co. Tech
W. Memphis at Valley View
Paragould at Batesville