Lady Pats fall at Hutchison

MEMPHIS, TN. --- The Marion girls basketball team showed some flashes during its final non-conference contest on Tuesday night at Hutchison.
Now, the real season begins.
Marion held its own on the boards, getting outrebounded by just seven against a big Sting outfit, and after allowing six three-pointers in the first quarter, the Lady Patriots outscored the Sting in the second 14-9, but fell 69-41 to a strong Hutchison team, which features four college signees.
The Lady Patriots got 11 points apiece from junior guards Maliya Stallings and Summer Morgan, while Jordyn Wilkerson chipped in with nine points.
Sting guard Ava Jones tallied a game-high 20 points, while Tinsley Anderson scored 15 points, and Helen Donlon and Alissa Carpenter hit for 11 points apiece.
Hutchison connected on six of 10 three-point attempts in the first quarter to race out to a 23-9 lead after eight minutes, but Marion hit the comeback trail in the second.
The Lady Pats got five points in the stanza from Stallings, four from Cortlyn Brown, and a three-pointer from Wilkerson, while Marion allowed the Sting to make just a single triple in that frame to work within 34-23 at halftime.
The hosts quickly went back to work after halftime, pulling away to a 20-point lead in the frame and taking a 54-35 lead after three.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion opens 5A East play Friday night at home against West Memphis. The girls varsity game will start at 6 p.m., and tickets will be on sale until 3 p.m. Friday afternoon at the Marion School District central office, the Marion High School central office, the Marion junior high central office, and the West Memphis School District central office. Tickets will not be sold at the door, and online tickets are no longer available for this event, so you must purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets cost $5 apiece.
You can also watch the Marion-West Memphis girls varsity games for free on the Marion Patriots Activities Network.

5A EAST GAMES ON 1/9
W. Memphis at Marion
Paragould at Greene Co. Tech
Nettleton at Searcy
Valley View at Batesville