Everyone knows that football is king in East St. Louis, Illinois.
In less than a month, All-American Terry Becker Jr. will be announcing his plans as to where he will further his education and play collegiate football.
The Flyers boys’ basketball team has one of the nation’s top big men in the 2017 class in 6’11” center Jeremiah Tillman.
But quietly, the East St. Louis girls program, led by head coach Shardae Butler, is turning heads throughout the Metro East and the state. Butler’s girls are sporting a 13-2 overall record, which includes a 4-1 mark in the powerful Southwestern Conference.
In addition, the Flyerettes have posted impressive non-conference wins over Chicago Orr and the Quincy Blue Devils in the prestigious Quincy Thanksgiving Tournament. Their only two losses this year come from conference rival Edwardsville, the No. 3 team in the state.
The Tigers, led by future prep Hall of Fame coach Lori Blade, beat East St. Louis 57-32 back in November in the Quincy Thanksgiving Tourney. But last week in a Southwestern Conference battle in East St. Louis, the Flyerettes took Edwardsville to overtime before losing 56-49 in a thrilling game.
The Flyerettes came close to breaking the Tigers’ conference winning streak at 79 games. The Tigers have now won 80 conference games in a row, dating back to a loss to Belleville West in 2009. Clearly, it would’ve been a signature win for the second-year head coach and her team.
“We played well, but we have to learn to win those types of games,” said the soft-spoken former East Side star, who played her collegiate ball at Western Kentucky.
“But I’m proud of these young ladies, and my staff. We are headed in the right direction with our program. We just want to continue to work hard in practice, during games and in the classroom. If we do that, the results on the court will come.”
And many in Flyers Nation are starting to take notice of the girls 13-2 start this season. Many are going up to Chicago’s Whitney Young High School on January 17 to support them in the prestigious MLK Classic that will feature some of the top teams in the state and around the country.
Hats off to head coach Shardae Butler and the Flyerettes the rest of the season!
