CHEER: Alton gets three on ICCA all-state team, Roxana gets one by AdVantage ...

BOYS PREP BOWLING: Alton wins third straight regional, CM second AHS wins 3rd straight regional, CM second Pete Hayes, phayes@thetelegraph.com  Updated  8:18 pm CST, Mond...

PREP HOCKEY: Redbirds skate past Bethalto 7-5 Pete Hayes, phayes@thetelegraph.com  Published  10:40 pm CST, Monday, January 14, 2019       ...

Three 3’s in Flyers’ ‘spurt’ dooms Redbirds Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com  Published  10:01 pm CST, Tuesday, January 8, 2019                             Photo: Greg Shashack | The Telegraph IMAGE 1 OF 4 GODFREY – East St. Louis boys basketball coach Mark Chambers called it “spurtability.” The Flyers hit three 3-pointers in successive possessions in a 90-second stretch late in the third quarter to break open a tie game and beat the Alton Redbirds 58-49 on Tuesday night. Recommended Video   01:06 01:11 “That’s kind of how our team goes,” Chambers said. “We can go on spurts. I see these guys in practice go on spurts. When we do that, it’s kind of hard to stop us.” The Southwestern Conference victory pushed East Side’s record to 12-5 and 5-1 in the league. Alton is 10-8 and 3-3 in the SWC. “We played hard,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “Our execution on stuff just wasn’t the best. But we haven’t necessarily been in tough games in tough environments. We just have too many plays at crucial times that aren’t the best. Like tonight, the run that they had is us turning the ball over and taking contested shots.” The Redbirds got another big night from 6-foot-7 senior Donovan Clay, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. “Anytime you’ve got a player of his stature, you know that he’s going to come,” Chambers said of Clay. “We game planned for him. Our main thing, with any team we play, we do what we do and if we do it well, we’ll be OK. He brought it to us, but we were able to pull out a victory.” Saint Louis University recruit Terrance Hargrove, a 6-7 senior, scored 19 points to lead the Flyers, who are ranked No. 5 in The Associated Press Class 3A state poll released earlier Tuesday. Cornelius Leflore added 10 points for East Side. It was Leflore who hit the game-changing treys for the Flyers. “He’s done it before,” Smith said of Leflore. “He comes in, he shoots it.” After Clay’s 3 tied it at 31 with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter, Leflore answered with two quick – and long – 3-pointers before Hargrove hit another 3. Bang, bang, bang, the Flyers were up 40-31. An Alton turnover and Hargrove’s bucket off an inbounds play made the lead 11 points (42-31) before Clay hit two free throws from an East Side technical to make the Flyers’ lead 42-33 after three quarters. “Turnovers and not rebounding,” Smith said of the Alton’s contributions to East Side’ 11-2 run to end the quarter. The Redbirds trimmed the deficit to eight points (46-38) on Clay’s three-point play with 5:04 left, but would get no closer until Andrew Jones and Moory Woods connected from the arc late in the game. Woods finished with eight points and Jones added seven for the Redbirds, who led 12-10 after one quarter and held that two-point lead at halftime up 22-20. “Not necessarily the pace we like, but I think that’s the pace we have to play with right now,” Smith said of a lineup still missing three starters. “That was a big key tonight. We just wore down.” Now, the Redbirds shift focus to their biggest rival when the Edwardsville Tigers visit AHS Friday night in the second game of a girls-boys doubleheader. It will be the first time in 30 years that Mike Waldo will not be on the bench as Edwardsville coach against the Redbirds. Edwardsville is 3-11 and rebuilding under first-year coach Dustin Battas. “It’s always an interesting week,” Smith said of the lead up to playing Edwardsville. “Everybody gets excited for that game.” Presenting the 2018 Ford F-150: A Perennial Best-SellerKelley Blue Book ...

PREP WRESTLING: Alton’s Hughes runner-up at Red Schmitt Invite Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com  Published  12:46 pm CST, Tuesday, January 1, 2019 &nb...

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Clay, Smith form Alton 1-2 punch that knocks out Lancers Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com  Published  10:00 pm CST, Tuesday, December 18, 2018                             Photo: Greg Shashack / The Telegraph IMAGE 1 OF 3 Alton’s Donovan Clay (left) puts up a shot over a pair of Jennings defenders in the Redbirds’ loss Saturday at the Ramey Shootout in Webster Groves. The Redbirds returned to SWC action Tuesday night and won ... more ...

PREP HOCKEY: Alton blanks Highland for second straight win Pete Hayes, phayes@thetelegraph.com  Published  8:34 am CST, Wednesday, December 19, 2018    ...

PREP WRESTLING: Alton’s Hughes, CM’s Tyus take titles at Mascoutah Invite Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com  Published  5:11 pm CST, Sunday, December 16, 2...

Redbirds can’t repeat, fall to Jennings in shootout Alton flat in shootout loss to Jennings Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com  Updated  10:43 am CST, Sunday, December 16, 2018                             Photo: Greg Shashack / The Telegraph IMAGE 1 OF 3 Alton’s Donovan Clay (11) heads upcourt on the break ahead of Jennings’ Donnel Carter (1), Trevon Lane (3) and Vernell Sims (right) while the Redbirds’ Drew Jones trails the play Saturday afternoon at the ... more ...

FOOTBALL: Area quartet selected to play in Shrine Game by AdVantage ...