The Charleston Trojans's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They fell just short of Mt. Vernon by a score of 43-41. While losing is never fun, Charleston can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 328th, while Mt. Vernon is ranked 44th).
When it comes to explaining why Charleston lost, one person who can't be blamed is Adam Rudibaugh. Despite the final result, he scored 14 points. Another player making a difference was Tyler Oakley, who scored eight points.
Leading Mt. Vernon to victory were Cale Maurer and Navontae D nesbit jr.. Maurer scored 16 points, while D nesbit jr. scored 14 points along with three steals. D nesbit jr. has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Equinton Millsap was another key contributor, scoring two points along with three steals.
Charleston has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-11 record this season. As for Mt. Vernon, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 16-5.
Charleston's road trip will continue as they head out to face Carbondale at 12:30 p.m. on January 20th. Mt. Vernon won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against East St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. on January 19th. One thing working in East St. Louis' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last seven contests.
