Wildcats hold off Pilots at Mid-Winter Classic

WEST FRANKFORT -- No lead is ever safe against the Cairo Pilots.
The Marion High School boys basketball team had a 26-point lead in the second quarter and a 24-point lead in the fourth period but fought off a scare and won 67-54 at the West Frankfort Mid-Winter Classic on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats were ahead 37-11 when Rayzhaun Bardo hit a 3-pointer with 3:23 left in the first half and were close to putting a running clock up in the fourth quarter but couldn't.
Marion eventually put away the Pilots in the pool play game at Max Morris Gymnasium.
"Cairo never goes away," said Marion coach Gus Gillespie. "They play the same style and it's hard. I've coached against them a lot over the years and I've had teams get beat with a 25-point lead before. I thought we played more tuned-in than we have lately."
Marion improved to 11-8 and 2-0 in the tournament without having Korey Houston in either game due to an eye infection.
Jackson Connor pumped in 26 points Wednesday night before fouling out with 3:08 left and now has 981 career points. The junior could reach the 1,000-point mark Friday against his former junior high teammates from Herrin.
Connor had 11 points in the first quarter as Marion jumped out to a 23-7 lead and had 16 at the half, when Marion led 42-20.
Boston Ziegler and Hunter Campbell both added 12 points for the Wildcats, who also beat Cairo at the Carbondale Holiday Tournament.
"I thought we played really well in spurts, especially defensively," Gillespie said. "We had a few kids that were very comfortable offensively."
Bardo added six points, Brett Lewis had five and Mitchell Jackson had four. Frankie Horner added two.
In the early game, Herrin rolled to a 61-29 victory over Anna-Jonesboro behind Brandon Anthony's 23-point performance. The Tigers are 2-0 in the tournament and 14-4 overall.
Marion and Herrin clash for the second time this season in Friday's final pool play game. Herrin won the meeting at the Pyramid Plus tournament. Both teams will return to West Frankfort on Saturday for crossover games.
"We have a tough game Friday night," Gillespie said. "Herrin has a good record and they're on a roll. They're a very talented team."