Marion Athletics -

The 2025-2026 Marion Patriots have done all they can do to get ready to defend their 5A East title, finishing a sterling 12-4 in non-conference play.
The Pats were particularly hot over the Christmas break, finishing 3-1 overall and taking fifth place at the 53^rd annual Big Dipper in Chicago, Illinois.
In the Windy City, Marion claimed a pool play victory over Crete Monee (65-42) before losing a tight second-round contest to eventual tournament champion Warren (53-43).
In the knockout round, Marion topped Gary West Side (Indiana) 54-40 and topped Thornwood in a 54-51 decision to earn an impressive fifth-place finish in the prestigious tournament.
Marion capped its non-conference slate on Saturday, January 3, with a 70-61 victory at Jonesboro, the Pats' first victory at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium since 2019.
Marion eased past Crete Monee behind 17 points from Jalen Neal, 12 from Chandler Randle, and 10 from Kaylal Hyland.
The Pats led Crete Monee 18-11 after a quarter and 28-21 at halftime.
The Patriots fell to Warren despite Neal scoring 15 points, Randle checking in with 14, and Hyland scoring nine.
Randle (15 points), Neal (11 points), and Korbin Littlejohn (seven points) helped Marion past Gary West Side in the fifth-place semifinal contest.
Marion clinched its fifth-place finish against Thornwood as Neal poured in 23 points, Littlejohn scored 13 points, and Randle added 10.
The Pats performed in their first game of the new year, beating Jonesboro for the second time in 2025-2026 as Randle scored 19 points, and Dexter Higgins, Jr. and Neal added 17 apiece.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion hosts West Memphis on Friday, January 9, at Fidelity Bank Arena for the 5A East opener. The varsity girls contest will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys varsity contest around 7:30 p.m.
Tickets will be sold in advance only, and you can purchase tickets for the Marion-West Memphis basketball game at the central office of the Marion and West Memphis School District, as well as the Marion High School office, and the central office at Marion Junior High.
If you can't attend the game, then you can watch the Marion-West Memphis varsity games for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.

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