Cairo's De'Mytra Robinson passes the ball to a teammate in practice Thursday.

CAIRO — A seasoned starting five will be aiming to take Cairo’s girls basketball team to new heights this year.

After all the offseason work following a 14-13 year, the Syrupmaids, a group laden with upperclassmen, will aim to extend their 1-0 start against Thomas County Central tonight and against Bainbridge on Saturday.

“We’ve had a good summer,” Cairo girls coach Melissa McClendon said. “The kids have worked very hard. We’ve been working on our fitness and our quickness. We’re looking forward to seeing how that work transfers to the floor.”

The Syrupmaids will have five seniors to lead them this year, each bringing their own skill set. De’Mytra Robinson will be a threat as a guard and as an effective shooter from behind the three-point line. Joining her is Ny’Jah Green, the point guard, as well as Iesha Wilcox and Tiajah Freeman, who will both be forces inside.

Besides their playmaking ability, McClendon is hoping to see something else from her older girls.

“We’re looking for a lot of leadership from them,” McClendon said. “We’ve finally gotten to the point where we’re a little more experienced. I think the kids are pleased about that. We have lot of quickness, good hands and good feet. They bring a lot of experience and a lot of talent to the floor.”

Besides the seniors, there will be some others making big contributions as well. Juniors Ajiyah Peters and Tamia Sherman will have some time at guard, and Ta’landria Jackson will also get some minutes.

“We have some juniors coming up and we look forward to them having an opportunity to gain some experience,” McClendon said.

McClendon has already had a chance to see her team in game mode, as Cairo defeated Baker County 73-32 last week. She was happy with some of what she saw, but still sees some room for improvement going into games with some cross-county rivals.

“I was pleased overall,” McClendon said. “The kids were excited to play. They did a good job defensively and did a good job in transition. We rebounded well and shot it pretty well from the outside. We still need to work on our defensive intensity. We also need to work on our leadership. Our kids are committed.”