The Cairo Pilots suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Monday. They were beaten by Mt. Vernon 80-40. Cairo was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 47-11.
When it comes to explaining why Cairo lost, one person who can't be blamed is Aaliyah Wilkerson. Despite the final result, she scored 19 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sa'Layah Purdiman, who scored nine points.
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 24 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Johnson has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 16 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Melaina Zedalis, who scored 16 points along with seven assists and five steals.
Cairo has been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season. As for Mt. Vernon, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-3.
Cairo's road trip will continue as they head out to face Central at 5:30 p.m. on January 16th. As for Mt. Vernon, they will challenge Carterville at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Carterville is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.
