JONESBORO --- Winning on the road in conference games may be one of the toughest accomplishments in high school basketball.
Which makes Marion's 78-48 victory Tuesday night over Nettleton at Raider Gym so impressive.
Marion (14-4 overall, 2-0 5A East) and Nettleton (11-6, 1-1) have combined to win the last three conference crowns, and the Patriots made an early bid for their third league title in the past four years, scoring the game's first 12 points, leading by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter, and settling for the 30-point final margin of victory.
Marion, which ascended over the weekend to the No. 1 spot in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's weekly Class 5A SuperSix rankings and earned the top spot in the Arkansas media poll, had nine players score at Nettleton, led by 13 points apiece from Jamari Bruin and Daevion “Dae Dae” Bailey, 11 from Jalen Neal, 10 from Chandler Randle, and nine by Karlyal “Duck” Hyland.
Nettleton got 12 points from T.J. Whitney, 10 points from Jeremiah Jackson, and nine points from Te'Jay Daley, a trio that was averaging more than 40 points combined entering play on Tuesday evening.
Marion made eight of 17 field goals in the first period at Raider Gym, and five Patriots scored in the opening eight minutes as the Pats earned a 20-9 lead to open the second quarter.
Bailey and Hyland drilled three-pointers in the second stanza while Marion allowed Nettleton to make just four of 15 field goals in that frame as the visitors claimed a 35-19 lead at the break.
Neal poured in nine points, while Randle scored five, and Bruin added four in the third quarter as Marion ran to a 58-32 lead to open the fourth quarter.
A Neal dunk gave Marion its largest lead at 31 points midway through the fourth period.
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.
RANKINGS RUNDOWN
Marion moved up to No. 2 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's weekly Overall Top 10 rankings, just behind defending Class 6A state champion Bryant, which Marion beat 62-60 in overtime on December 13. The Patriots also moved up to No. 1 in the ADG's weekly SuperSix Class 5A rankings.
Marion also claimed the top spot in this week's Arkansas sports media poll, as well as the No. 2 spot in the Overall Top 10 (all classifications).
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 1/13
Marion 78, Nettleton 48
Greene Co. Tech 62, Searcy 42
Valley View 62, Paragould 58
W. Memphis 48, Batesville 37
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 1/14
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Marion 2-0
Greene Co. Tech 2-0
Valley View 2-0
Nettleton 1-1
W. Memphis 1-1
Paragould 0-2
Searcy 0-2
Batesville 0-2
Top four teams qualify for state basketball 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