SEARCY, Ark. (LP) – The Searcy Lady Lions weathered the storm against the Marion Lady Patriots on Friday night, but the said storm turned out to be too powerful to overcome.

Marion jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the first quarter with an attack headlined by a full-court press and tenacity on the offensive glass. It looked as if the Lady Patriots may be able to pull away and earn a relatively easy victory, but Searcy clawed back, making the score 27-18 at halftime.

Head coach Kim Sitzmann had a rather straightforward answer when asked about Searcy’s first half performance.

“We came out too slow,” Sitzmann told Lion TV. (Marion) came out really intense, and we had to match that.”

When the second half began, Searcy’s energy finally did match that of the Patriots. The Lady Lions closed the gap to as little as four, and entering the fourth quarter, Marion only led by six.

The problem? Marion had done essentially whatever they wanted on the offensive glass all night, and the dam finally broke in the fourth quarter. A plethora of offensive rebounds for the Lady Patriots led to countless second-chance opportunities and free throws down the stretch.

Despite a valiant effort, the Lady Lions fell 53-43 in front of their home crowd at Lion Arena.

Chip Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, while Jada Cheers led Marion with 15 points. Madison Glaspie (12 pts) and Mariyah Rucks (11 pts) also reached double figures for the Lady Patriots.