Marion Athletics -

As the Marion boys basketball team closes in on a second straight league championship, and the third in four seasons, many have wondered if the Patriots will take their eye off the ball.

It didn't happen last Friday night at Fidelity Bank Arena against Batesville.

Marion scored the game's first four points, led 9-3 after a quarter, and cruised to the finish line for a 65-21 victory at home.

Marion's victory reduced its magic number to two games to repeat as 5A East conference champions, meaning that any combination of Patriot victories and Greene County Tech losses gives the Pats the crown.

The MHS victory, coupled with Bryant's loss last Tuesday to North Little Rock, moved Marion into the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's No. 1 spot in the Overall Top 10, and the Patriots remained as the No. 1 team in Class 5A per the ADG for the seventh consecutive week.

It's the first time Marion has taken the No. 1 spot in the ADG's Overall Top 10 since 2023.

Marion (24-4 overall, 12-0 5A East) blasted Batesville on Friday behind 14 points from Karlyal “Duck” Hyland, 11 apiece from Korbin Littlejohn and Jalen Neal, and eight points from Dexter Higgins, Jr.

Batesville got nine points from Ransom Dunlap, and four apiece from Anton Frazier and Price Carpenter.

Marion allowed just three field goal makes in the first half of last week's game, and just one in the first period, helping the hosts out to that 9-3 advantage after eight minutes of play.

The Pats claimed their first double-digit lead (14-3) of the night with 6:39 to play in the second period when Hyland drained a corner three in front of the Batesville bench.

Neal drilled a pair of free throws and then turned a Higgins lob into a dunk to give Marion its first 20-point lead (26-6) with 2:58 left in the first half, and Marion's largest lead of the first half was 31 points before a Batesville buzzer-beater got the visitors within 37-8 at halftime, and Marion led 54-17 after three frames.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion concludes its 2025-2026 regular season this week with a road trip Tuesday night to Valley View and a home date on Friday with Greene County Tech.
The Greene County Tech game will also be Senior Night, and Marion's senior cheerleaders, girls basketball players, and boys basketball players will be recognized after the girls varsity game.
You can watch the Valley View and Greene County Tech varsity games, as well as Senior Night festivities, for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.

RANKINGS RUNDOWN
Marion moved up to the coveted No. 1 spot in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's weekly Overall Top 10 rankings in Monday's edition. The Patriots had been the second-ranked team in the Overall Top 10 the previous five weeks, and had been in the top three all winter.
The Patriots maintained their stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the ADG's weekly Class 5A SuperSix rankings, and Marion was also ranked No. 1 in the Arkansas Media's Overall Top 10 and the Class 5A rankings.

5A EAST RESULTS FROM 2/20
Marion 65, Batesville 21
Greene Co. Tech 81, Valley View 52
W. Memphis 78, Nettleton 67
Paragould 59, Searcy 52

5A EAST STANDINGS ON 2/23
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Marion 12-0
Greene Co. Tech 11-1
W. Memphis 8-4
Nettleton 5-7
Valley View 5-7
Paragould 4-8
Batesville 2-10
Searcy 1-11
Top four teams make state tournament in Farmington.

5A EAST GAMES ON 2/24
Marion at Valley View
Greene Co. Tech at Batesville
Nettleton at Paragould
Searcy at W. Memphis