Radiers comeback secures win over Marion girls 34-31

Marion drops to 0-2 in 5A East play with road loss to Nettleton

By Chuck Livingston

Marion School District

JONESBORO — Marion punched and counterpunched with 5A East rival Nettleton for 32 minutes on Tuesday night, and though the Lady Pats lost, Marion may have found the formula to make another late-season run.

Marion led much of the night at Nettleton before Lady Raider senior guard Kyla Williams scored the last five points of the contest to power her club to a 34-31 victory over Marion at Raider Gym.

AWilliams layup tied the game at 31 with 2:32 remaining, and her threepointer with 1:11 left provided Nettleton the winning margin.

After Williams’ heroics, the Nettleton defense blocked a pair of potential gametying three-pointers to preserve the victory.

Akirya Jones paced Nettleton (14-1 overall, 2-0 5A East) with nine points, while Williams checked in with eight, and Donna Douglas poured in seven.

Marion tumbled to 3-12 and 0-2 despite eight points from Kiera Neal, six from Aya Johnson, and five from Ny’Asia Jackson.

Marion’s defensive prowess made life hard for Nettleton all night. The visitors smothered the Lady Raiders into 15-of-38 shooting with 20 turnovers.

Nettleton led 11-8 after the first quarter, but Marion reentered the fray in the second stanza by forcing eight Lady Raider turnovers and making four of nine field goals to take a 19-15 lead to halftime.

The teams swapped hoops in the third quarter, as Marion clung to a 24-23 advantage entering the fourth frame.

That final quarter featured three lead changes, the first coming when Nettleton’s Makenzie Williams spun on the baseline for a layup and a 25-24 lead.

Marion responded with five straight, including a pair of Falencia Selvy free throws with 3:18 remaining for a 31-29 Lady Patriot lead.

Williams tied the game on the ensuing Nettleton possession, and each team registered a defensive stop to set the table for Williams’ three-point make from the wing and a 34-31 bulge.

Marion committed a turnover on the following possession, but a Nettleton miss on the front end of a one-and-one gave the visitors one more chance.

Marion senior Aaliyah

See HOOPS, page A9

Photo by Will Zheng HOOPS

From page A6

Taylor fired a three-pointer with less than seven seconds remaining that Douglas rejected, but the ball stayed with Marion.

That’s when Jackson got a decent look from the corner, but Jones blocked the ball and the carom landed in bounds to run out the clock.

What’s Next?

Marion returns home to Fidelity Bank Arena Friday night when the Lady Patriots host Searcy for a 6 p.m. tip. The Searcy contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com.

5A East Jan. 10 Scores

Nettleton 34, Marion 31 Greene County Tech 58, Batesville 49 Paragould 46, Valley View 25 West Memphis 62, Searcy 59

5A East Standings w/Conference Records

Nettleton 2-0 Paragould 2-0 West Memphis 2-0 Greene County Tech 1-1 Valley View 1-1 Batesville 0-2 Marion 0-2 Searcy 0-2