East St. Louis is back at the state tournament hunting for another Class 3A championship
The East St. Louis boys basketball team will be looking for another state championship this weekend at State Farm Center in Champaign.
Here is a preview of the Flyers’ semifinal game:
East St. Louis vs. Metamora, Class 4A
Game time: 11:45 a.m. Friday.
How they got here: The Flyers defeated Sacred Heart-Griffin 59-56 in double overtime to capture the Springfield Super-Sectional. The Redbirds defeated Marmion Academy 60-48 to capture the Ottawa Super-Sectional.
Records: East St. Louis is 25-8 and went 8-4 in the Southwestern Conference. Metamora is 32-2 and went 14-0 in the Mid-Illini Conference to take the league title.
Fun facts: East St. Louis won the 2018-19 Class 3A state championship under Chambers, defeating Chicago Bogan 68-63 in the finals ... the Flyers also reached the super-sectional round last year, losing to Sacred Heart-Griffin 60-50 ... the Redbirds — who lost to Sacred Heart-Griffin 53-50 in the 2022 Class 3A title game — enter the state tournament on a 30-game winning streak ... East St. Louis and Metamora met during the 2021-22 regular season with the Flyers prevailing 54-38 ... Flyers coach Mark Chambers played on the 1986-87 Lincoln High School state championship team under legendary coach Bennie Lewis ... Chambers also spent several years in the Atlanta Braves organization in the early 1990s.
East St. Louis players to watch: Kansas State recruit Macaleab Rich (senior, G), 19.9 points per game; Cal State Fullerton recruit Antwan Robinson (senior, G), 10 points per game.
Metamora player to watch: Tyler Mason (junior, G), who had 11 points and 5 assists in the super-sectional win; Tyson Swanson (senior, F), who had 19 points and 8 rebounds in the super-sectional.
What Flyers coach Mark Chambers is saying: ”Our kids have shown a lot of toughness and grit this season and I’m really proud of them. The guys worked really really hard this year to get to this point. We want to push the ball and run as much as we can, but we also want to execute in the half court. We want to make everything difficult for the opponent on the defensive side. Metamora looks like a well-oiled machine right now. Their guys are playing with a lot of confidence. I believe we can play with anybody. We play one of the toughest schedules in the state. I like our chances against either opponent. We’re excited to be here. Our kids are like ‘let’s go’ ... they’re ready to go. We’re trying to win a state championship and whoever comes in our way, we’ll be ready.”
What Redbirds coach Danny Grieves is saying: ”Our kids are pretty fire tested. They’ve been through the ringer. I’ve drug them all over the country to find the best teams we can play. We try to take on all comers. We’re just happy to be here. We do better on a bigger floor. All our starters can really score. East St. Louis is really good. They’re huge. They’re very impressive. We’re going to have to spread them out a little bit. Not holding the ball, but we’ll run some stuff that’ll make them guard us. Our confidence is sky high. They’re pretty hungry. They’re still trying to hunt. They’re not being hunted. They’re in it to win it.”
Next up: The winner plays for the state championship at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against St. Ignatius College Prep (24-11) or Simeon (31-3). The loser plays for third place at 7 p.m. Friday.
