Greenwood girls end Lady Patriots’ postseason run

Marion falls in state semifinal to Lady Bulldogs

By CHUCK LIVINGSTON

Marion School District

SHERIDAN — The Marion Lady Patriots scratched and clawed to the semifinal round of the Class 5A state tournament last week here at Yellowjacket Arena, but found a rock-solid Greenwood team blocking its path to the final.

Greenwood committed just six turnovers while limiting Marion to 29 percent shooting in a 66-42 victory that sends the Lady Bulldogs to Thursday’s Class 5A state championship game. Marion ends its season 21-11 overall and 9-5 in the 5A East. The Lady Pats advanced to the semifinals for just the fourth time in school history this season, all since 2017.

Greenwood (26-4) plays Jonesboro on Thursday at noon.

Marion earned early leads of 4-0, 6-2, and 8-4 on Saturday morning as Greenwood struggled to make shots around the basket, but the Lady Bulldogs finished the first quarter on a 9-1 run to lead 13-9 after eight minutes.

The Lady Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the second quarter, taking their first double- digit lead of the game when Anna Trusty canned a three-pointer for a 20-9 lead with 5:34 left in the second stanza. Greenwood led 30-16 at halftime.

Marion fought back early in the third, trimming the Greenwood advantage to 33-21 following a Ny’Asia Jackson three-pointer, but the Lady Bulldogs again closed in a flurry, hitting the Lady Pats with a 10-2 run to lead 41-23 after three quarters.

Greenwood closed the game on a 7-1 run to cap the scoring.

Kiera Neal and Alyse Holliman paced the Lady Pats with 13 points apiece, while Jackson pumped in 10, and Jessica Robins hit for nine.

Marion earned its third 20-win season in 10 years under Coach Shunda Johnson, who guided the Lady Pats to the 2017 Class 6A state title. The Lady Pats salvaged a third-place finish in the 5A East despite playing the second half of the league schedule without all-state performer Daedrianna Cail, who suffered a foot injury in February at Nettleton.

The Lady Pats logged a mercy-rule victory over Hot Springs Lakeside in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament, before picking up a dramatic 42-41 quarterfinal victory over 5A Central champion Jacksonville.

The Greenwood contest was the last game for Marion seniors Cail, Robins, and Janaria Banister.

Photo by Londa Hamrick

The Lady Patriots hustled down the court all night long but couldn’t outrun a tough Greenwood squad in the 5A girls state semifinals.