White Leads East St. Louis With 19 Points, Johnson Scores 14, Flyers Hold Off Deerfield 52-46 For 3A State Title

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA - Jameson White led East St. Louis with 19 points, while Alex Johnson added 14 points, as the Flyers held off a comeback attempt by Deerfield to win the IHSA Class 3A boys basketball state championship 52-46 at State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana late Saturday afternoon, March 14, 2026.

It's the second state title for East Side, their first since 2019, both under head coach Mark Chambers. That year, the Flyers won the title over Chicago Bogan 68-63 in overtime. Fellow Southwestern Conference member Belleville West won the Class 4A championship in the next game, winning over Evanston Township 71-69.

It was a close game throughout, with the Flyers leading at quarter time 17-13, and at halftime 29-22. The Warriors fought back to come within 39-36 after the third quarter, but East St. Louis outscored Deerfield 13-0 in the final quarter to come away with the championship 52-46.

White was the game's leading scorer with his 19 points, and to go along with it and Johnson's 14 points, Terri'yon Webster added seven points, Devrice Johnson had six points, and both Philip Jones and Emaurion Jackson hit for three points each.

Deerfield was led by Jake Pollack with 15 points, while Evan Nagler had 13 points, Tommy Donahue scored 10 points, Drew Schnurman scored five points, Chase Arenberg had two points, and Charlie Yellen had a single point.

The Flyers bring the Class 3A title back to the City of Champions with a final record of 33-4, while the Warriors finish up at 25-12.

There was also a local flavor on the officiating crew in the final, as Tim Luehmann of Granite City served as the head referee.

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