Patriots shine in scrimmage with Wynne
Marion basketball gearing up for 2022-23 campaign
By CHUCK LIVINGSTON
Marion School District
Marion head boys basketball coach David Clark’s main task this off-season has been figuring out how to replace four starters from last season’s 27-8 outfit that reached the state finals for the third time in school history.
Thursday night’s scrimmage against Wynne showed that Clark and his staff might be getting close.
The Patriots dazzled on defense and in the open court, allowing Wynne to shoot just 28 percent from the field. The Patriots forced 27 turnovers in a 6623 victory at Fidelity Bank Arena.
“We always want to set the tone early on the year by playing defense,” explained Clark. “We saw a lot of young guys step up and play well. We knew they were talented, and they showed everyone here tonight what we’ve been working on the last six months.”
Marion put three scorers in double figures, led by sophomore guard Lyndell Buckingham’s game-high 17 points, junior forward Jalen White hit for 13, and David Brewer added 11. Junior Kayden Nesbitt finished with nine. The Pats started fast in the first period, scoring 16 of the game’s first 20 points, including five from Brewer and four apiece from Nesbitt and Miller. Miller’s stickback with 3:23 left in the first quarter gave the Pats a 16-4 advantage.
Marion closed the opening stanza on an 11-0 run, scoring in various ways, including a highlight-reel dunk from Buckingham, a White baseline jumper, and when De’Quarrius Brown canned a three-pointer to beat the first-quarter buzzer, the Pats led 27-7 after the initial frame.
“Our guys compete hard every day at practice and set the standard every day,” said the coach. “We have to do that in order to compete at the end of the year for a state championship.”
The run reached 14 consecutive early in the second when Wynne hit its first field goal of the second stanza, but Marion responded with nine more points in a row, the last four coming on a Buckingham slam and a Brewer layup with 1:51 left in the first half that gave the hosts their first 30-point lead of the game at 39-9. Marion led 43-15 at the half.
Marion junior forward Kayden Nesbitt (5) hits a layup during Thursday night’s scrimmage victory over Wynne.
Photo by Mary Claire Reece
