MacArthur comes up inches away of trip to state, falling in 3A super-sectionals

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Despite a mighty effort by the MacArthur boys' basketball team, a last second chance at the final horn hit off the rim and out, resulting in the Generals' defeat to East St. Louis, 51-49.

After a pair of missed Flyer free throws with 4.2-seconds remaining, MacArthur's Khymir Carson dribbled the ball just beyond half-court and put up a final shot at the buzzer. The release would have no-doubt left officials to review, but the ball bounced off the backboard, rim, and out, ending the game.

The crowd inside the BOS Center was mostly MacArthur fans, and a few moments earlier were ready to rush the floor for a hopeful first trip to state. Instead, they were there to commend their team as the players and coaches walked off the floor for one final time.

"The community came out and supported us a lot today," said Generals' head coach Terise Bryson. "Our boys - we gave it all we had. I'm at a loss for words right now. It hurts."

Despite being at a disadvantage in size, MacArthur played to their defensive strengths and found ways to get East St. Louis out of sync early. The Generals made a point of contesting the Flyers' 6-foot-8, Penn State commit - Jamison White. Early efforts by Tishawn Clemmons helped the blue and white gain the lead in the first quarter, before a White buzzer-beater tied the game at 11 at the first break.

A back-and-forth battle from both programs in the second frame gave East St. Louis the edge at halftime 24-23.

The Flyers found more success offensively when the second half began. Growing their lead to as much as 9-points late in the 3rd quarter, MacArthur's hopes seemed to be fading. As action continued following a late timeout in the period, the momentum then flipped and carried over into the final quarter. With less than 3-minutes remaining, a kickout pass by Clemmons to Sean Lee opened up a corner-three opportunity, which Lee hit, tying the game at 47.

Both teams tried to hold possession in the late minutes. Trailing by two, Bryson called a timeout to draw up a play for his offense to run in the offensive half-court with less than 30-seconds to play. However, on the ensuing inbound, East St. Louis stole the pass and forced the Generals to foul.

White went to the line for the Flyers, but missed both attempts, setting up the last second heave by Carson that came up shy.

"It hurts for the seniors - Sean Lee, Tishawn, Khymir," coach Bryson said following the game. "They're gonna be playing college ball somewhere. Fortunately, all of them are gonna go to school and play basketball and that's the best thing that came out of this year."

The season ends as the most successful in program history, with MacArthur boys' basketball earning its first sectional title ever, a feat the girls' also achieved just weeks ago.

Other super-sectional competitors from central Illinois included Routt Catholic from Jacksonville in the 1A bracket. They fell at the hands of Goreville, 60-43. However in 2A, Tolono Unity was able to top Bishop McNamara 77-70 and will make the short trip to Champaign for the state semifinals.