Preview: Alton Redbirds vs. Collinsville Kahoks
Alton and Collinsville are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Alton Redbirds will head out on the road to square off against the Collinsville Kahoks at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Alton is looking to tack on another W to their seven-game streak on the road.
Last Saturday, Alton faced Lincoln in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Alton fell 57-49 to Lincoln.
Meanwhile, Collinsville lost to O'Fallon at home by a decisive 69-52 margin on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, Collinsville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 258th, while O'Fallon is ranked 19th).
Talesha Gilmore put forth a good effort for the losing side as she scored 23 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. That was a full 44.2% of Collinsville's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Ashley Janini was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with four steals.
Alton's record now sits at 26-2. As for Collinsville, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-16.
Everything came up roses for Alton against Collinsville in their previous matchup back in January as the team secured a 74-30 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Alton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
