WATERLOO – East St. Louis, 30-4, will meet Decatur MacArthur at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026, at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, IL., for the super-sectional title. Decatur MacArthur is 34-1 going into the Monday night encounter.
The winner advances to the state finals on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the University of Illinois-Champaign.
Jameson White led East St. Louis with 21 points, while playmaker guard Philip Jones scored 20 points, and Alex Johnson came up with 15 points as the Flyers won the IHSA Class 3A basketball sectional over Centralia 65-51 Friday night at the Waterloo High School gym.
It was the 30th win of the season for East Side, the state’s top-ranked team in Class 3A, and most importantly, it puts them into the Elite Eight.
The Orphans end their season at 32-2.
The Flyers trailed the Orphans after the first quarter 12-9, and also trailed at halftime 28-26, but took control of the game in the second half, outscoring Centralia overall 43-23, taking the lead after three quarters 46-34, winning the period 20-6, then finished the game by outscoring the Orphans 23-17 and taking the 65-51 win.
White led the way for East St. Louis with his 21 points, while Jones came up with 20 points, Johnson scored 15 points, Terri’yon Webster had nine points, and both Emaurion Jackson and Deatrick Palmer scored two points each.
