Johnson Scores With Five Seconds Left, Give Flyers Taste Of Champaign As East St. Louis Wins Super-Sectional 51-49

SPRINGFIELD - Alex Johnson led East St. Louis with 21 points, but it was his basket with five seconds left in regulation that allowed the Flyers to advance to the state finals, as East Side won over Decatur MacArthur 51-49 in the IHSA Class 3A boys basketball super-sectional game Monday night, March 9, 2026, at the Bank of Springfield Center in downtown Springfield.

The Flyers will play in the semifinals on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2026, at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center.

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It turned out to be a close game all the way through, the score being tied 11-11 after the first quarter, and the Flyers leading at halftime 24-23. East Side extended its lead to 42=34 at three-quarter time, but the Generals rallied back in the fourth to outscore East St. Louis 15-9 in the final quarter, with Johnson's basket winning the game for the Flyers 51-49.

After a Jamison White free throw gave East Side a 47-42 lead, the Generals went on a 7-0 run, with a basket from Khymir Carson cutting the lead to 47-44, and a three from Sean Lee tying the game at 47-47. Another basket by the Generals put MacArthur ahead 49-47, with Johnson tying the game on a pair of free throws 49-49 before he sank what proved to be the winner outside with five seconds left, lifting the Flyers into the lead 51-49. MacArthur missed a shot before the buzzer to preserve the win for East Side, and advance to the last four.

Johnson led the Flyers with 21 points, while both White and Terri'yon Webster scored 11 points each, and Philip Jones hit for eight points.

The Generals end the season at 34-2, while East Side is now 31-4, and will play in the second semifinal against Chicago Leo Catholic, who won the state quarterfinal super-sectional game at UIC Pavilion at the University of Illinois-Chicago over Chicago Hyde Park 54-33, Friday morning at 11:45 a.m. A loss will send the Flyers to the third-place game Friday evening at 7 p.m, with a win putting East St. Louis into the state final Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The opponent will be either Deerfield or Maple Park Kaneland in either case.

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