Preview: Cairo Pilots vs. Mt. Vernon Rams
The Cairo Pilots's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Mt. Vernon Rams at 5:30 p.m. on January 15th. Cairo will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings (they are ranked 510th, while Mt. Vernon is ranked 41st).
Cairo suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Harrisburg on the road and fell 66-24. Cairo has not had much luck with Harrisburg recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon stacked an 11th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 69-37 victory over Althoff Catholic. The win was familiar territory for Mt. Vernon who now have three in a row.
Mt. Vernon's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tiara Johnson led the charge by scoring 19 points along with eight assists and eight steals. Johnson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Melaina Zedalis, who scored 21 points along with four steals.
Cairo has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season. As for Mt. Vernon, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3.
