LITTLE ROCK --- Marion second-year head coach, Sammie Lewis, did not flinch when his team trailed Bryant by 10 points after the first quarter on Saturday evening.
Lewis didn't panic when Bryant scored the first field goal of the second period for a 12-point lead.
He didn't even panic when Bryant's Camarion Bead made a free throw to give the Hornets a 60-59 lead with 4.6 seconds left in overtime.
And Lewis did not panic when junior guard Korbin Littlejohn connected on an approximately 30-foot three-point shot as time expired to give Marion a dramatic 62-60 victory at Raymond Cooper Arena, site of the 2025 Charles Ripley Holiday Classic.
"That's the thing about our guys, they've bought into a next-play mentality," said Lewis after the game. "Everything isn't always going to go your way, but our guys understand that, and they keep playing the right way no matter what's going on. That's the only way you can win a game like this."
Littlejohn's only field goal of the game moved Marion to 6-3 overall in 2025-2026. Senior Jalen Neal finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds, including 8 offensive caroms, while Chandler Randle scored 18 points before fouling out in overtime. Jackson Black scored 10 points and recorded 7 rebounds.
Bryant fell despite getting 23 points from Bead and 21 from R.J. Young.
The Hornets made just 1 of their 6 free throws in the overtime period.
It didn't look as though overtime would be needed in the first quarter, as Bryant made 7 of its 11 field goals, with Bead scoring 8 points in the first 8 minutes, as the defending Class 6A state champions claimed an 18-8 lead after the opening frame.
A pair of Bead free throws gave Bryant a 20-8 lead with 7:09 left in the second quarter.
"They had the lead on us, but we just expected to make a run," said Lewis. "Our guys don't back down or anything. We weren't playing badly; we just weren't making shots like we usually do. Then, when we started making shots, we got back into it."
In particular, Neal started to make shots, scoring 8 points in the second quarter alone, while Randle scored 4 down the stretch as Marion worked within 25-24 at halftime.
Randle started the second-half scoring with a short jumper to give Marion a 26-25 bulge early in the third.
Neal racked up 6 rebounds in that third period, including 3 on the offensive glass, to help him get to 8 points in that frame again as Marion earned a 41-38 lead to open the fourth quarter.
A Young three-point play got Bryant even at 53 with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter, followed by a Neal offensive rebound and layup, which gave Marion a 55-53 lead with 1:07 left, followed by a Young layup with 42.3 seconds left, which tied the game at 55 at the end of regulation.
A Bead stickback gave Bryant a 59-57 advantage in overtime, followed by a Marion turnover, but Young left the door ajar by missing 4 straight free throws after the Hornets claimed the lead.
Dexter Higgins, Jr. fed Black for a tying layup with 1:10 left in overtime, but the teams swapped empty possessions after that.
Bead drove the lane late in the extra period, but missed his first free-throw attempt before making the second, setting the stage for Littlejohn's heroics.
Littlejohn inbounded to Black, who quickly gave it back to Littlejohn, who dribbled across the timeline and pulled the game-winning three-pointer from near the volleyball line.
"Jackson is reading left the first time, and the first option there was Duck (Karlyl Hyland)," said Lewis. "That wasn't open, so he did the right thing and gave it back to Korbin, and then it's just a player making a tough shot, and I'm glad it went in."