Leo and East St. Louis meet in IHSA Class 3A state semifinal after supersectional wins

What the matchup is

Chicago Leo and East St. Louis are scheduled to play Friday, March 13, in an IHSA Class 3A boys basketball state semifinal at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center in Champaign. The game is listed for an 11:45 a.m. tip as part of the state finals session that includes the Class 3A semifinals.

How both teams reached Champaign

Both programs advanced by winning supersectional games on Monday, March 9, the round that determines the four “state qualifiers” in each class.

• Leo advanced with a 54-33 win over Chicago Hyde Park in a Class 3A supersectional played at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena.
• East St. Louis advanced with a 51-49 win over Decatur MacArthur in a Class 3A supersectional played in Springfield.

The narrow margin in East St. Louis’ supersectional contrasted with Leo’s double-digit win, but both outcomes produced the same result: a place in the state semifinals.

Team context entering the semifinal

East St. Louis arrived downstate after a postseason that included a 69-51 win over Centralia in the Waterloo sectional final and an 82-50 win over Jacksonville in the Waterloo sectional semifinal. The Flyers’ record has been reported at 30-5 heading into state week, reflecting a high-volume season against a range of competition.

Leo’s season record has been reported at 28-6 entering the state semifinals. The Lions’ path included the Hyde Park supersectional win that secured the program’s place in the final four.

What is at stake on March 13

Friday’s winner will move to the IHSA Class 3A state championship game, which is played at the same venue later in the weekend. The loser will be placed in the third-place game under the IHSA state finals format.

Friday’s Class 3A semifinal schedule places Leo vs. East St. Louis in the late-morning window, with the remaining Class 3A semifinal to follow in the same session.

What to watch from the numbers

The most recent round offers a snapshot of how each team can win: Leo held Hyde Park to 33 points, while East St. Louis won a two-possession game in which a single late stop or made shot swung the outcome. Taken together, the results point to a semifinal that could be decided either by defensive separation or by execution in late-game possessions.

As of Friday morning, the official game result had not yet been posted publicly. stlouis.news will update with the final score, key stretches, and championship implications once the semifinal is complete.