CHAMPAIGN—Farragut basketball was once the greatest show Illinois high school basketball had ever seen. But the days of Kevin Garnett and Ronnie Fields are long gone.
Admirals coach William “Wolf” Nelson struggled to keep his program alive in the final years of his coaching career, getting by with just 10 or 11 players and no sophomore team. One of Nelson’s former star players, Emmanuel Little, took over as coach three years ago and Nelson became athletic director.
Farragut’s appearance in the state finals this weekend is a testament to the love and care Nelson and Little have for their school. No one involved in high school basketball believed the Admirals would earn a state trophy this season, but they will play for third place in Class 2A after losing to Quincy Notre Dame 64-45 in the semifinals on Thursday at State Farm Center.
“I’m just excited about these boys,” Little said. “They are exceptional on and off the court. A lot of them are having emotional tears, but they should be happy. Sad is when you mourn something bad. They should be happy tears.”
Senior Latrell Kelley led Farragut (13-15) to upset playoff wins against Phillips and Crane. The All-City star finished with 21 points.
“It was a long season,” Kelley said. “A lot of people didn’t think we would get this far. We had a tough road, and a lot of people doubted us. We prevailed. I take pride in that but ultimately, I want to win.”
“We knew he was the main player and if we shut him down, they would have a hard time scoring,” Quincy Notre Dame’s Beau Eftink said. “So, whenever he came off screens or went away from us, we doubled him.”
Kelley’s three-pointer with 4:31 left in the third quarter cut the Raiders’ lead to 32-30. Then everything fell apart for the Admirals.
Quincy Notre Dame took control by forcing a flurry of turnovers and capitalizing with an 8-0 burst in just a minute that eventually turned into a 25-4 run.
“It happened on the defensive end,” Raiders coach Greg Altmix said. “You get pretty good shots when you get steals and turnovers. When you have a team that is willing to buy in on the defensive end that is huge.”
Junior Deangelo Embry scored nine for Farragut and Terez Terrell added eight points. Jace Allensworth led the Raiders with 16 points. They will face Peoria Manual in the 2A title game on Saturday.
Farragut has won just 33 games in the past three seasons. Quincy Notre Dame is 32-1 this year.
“It’s been a tough road, coming in knowing what we have,” Little said. “They say you only need five on the floor, so that is what we have been doing. Sometimes it gets to you but a lot of times it doesn’t. I’m truly happy about our guys. Farragut is still here. Never dropped out of the Red-West.”
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
