Marion Athletics -

Marion's basketball teams got a good look at two of the state's top talents Tuesday evening inside Fidelity Bank Arena.

To their credit, the Patriot boys and girls teams played Little Rock Christian almost even outside of star performances from Little Rock Christian's reigning Gatorade Players of the Year, Whitley Rogers and J.J. Andrews.

Rogers scored 37 points in a 68-54 victory over Marion in the girls game, while Andrews poured in 40 points and 18 rebounds in an 85-72 win in the boys contest.

Marion junior guard Summer Morgan paced the Lady Patriots with 21 points, while her classmate Maliya Stallings hit for 15 points, and freshman Cortlyn Brown poured in 14 points.

Liv Hatcher got the visitors off to a good start in the first frame, scoring 8 points, while Rogers added 7, and the Lady Warriors enjoyed an 18-9 lead after the first quarter.

LR Christian opened up a 34-19 halftime lead as Rogers added 7 points in the second, including a layup that gave her team their first double-digit lead at 20-9.

Rogers made 4 of her 6 three-point tries in the third period as the Lady Warriors took a 55-37 lead to the fourth quarter.

The Marion (4-2 overall) boys fell despite getting 22 points from Chandler Randle, 15 from Jalen Neal, and 10 points and 8 rebounds from Jackson Black.

The first quarter featured a pair of lengthy runs, when LR Christian embarked on a 10-3 run to take a 10-3 lead midway through the frame.

Andrews sparked the early run with 8 points in the initial quarter, including a dunk after a rebound that gave the Warriors a 7-3 lead.

Marion responded with an 11-0 run of its own, including 7 from Randle, and the Patriots led 17-13 after the first eight minutes.

The Pats pushed ahead 20-15 in the second stanza following a Korbin Littlejohn layup, but the Warriors started whittling away from there, as Andrews exploded for 11 points in the second, while Easton Boggs hit three three-pointers in the second alone as the visitors claimed a 39-38 halftime lead.

LR Christian's big third quarter started early as the Warriors connected on their first 5 field goals, including an Andrews three-pointer that gave the Warriors a 52-40 lead.

The Warriors made 10 of 15 field goals in that third period, including 6 of 10 from three-point range, and LR Christian outrebounded Marion 9-5 in the third.

It amounted to a 72-55 Warrior lead after three quarters.

Marion mounted a rally in the fourth period, working within 80-72 late in the quarter.

The Patriot push was possible because the Warriors made just one of their 8 field goals in the fourth frame, a three-pointer from Boggs with 3:11 left, that launched the visitors back in front by 11.

LR Christian made all 10 of its free throws in the fourth quarter to keep Marion at bay.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Marion boys will play in the Iverson Classic on Friday and Saturday in Bartlett, Tennessee. Marion plays Providence Christian Academy at 5 p.m. on Friday and Memphis University School at 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening at Bartlett High School.

The Marion girls team hosts Conway on December 9 at Fidelity Bank Arena, followed by a boys varsity game with Jonesboro.