Farragut vs. North Lawndale was once one of the hottest and most important rivalries in the city. The programs were powerhouses for decades under prominent coaches William ‘‘Wolf’’ Nelson at Farragut and Lewis Thorpe at North Lawndale.
Nelson and Thorpe were pillars of their schools and communities, and basketball success was an extension of their influence.
Both programs are now in transition. Nelson retired from coaching a few years ago and is the Admirals’ athletic director. The school named its gym after him last year. Former Farragut star Emmanuel Little took over as coach.
Thorpe died unexpectedly in 2018. The Phoenix had a few coaches after that before Thorpe’s son Stephen, a North Lawndale graduate and former player, took over the program this season.
The teams are thin on players and victories. The Admirals dressed nine players for the game Tuesday and the Phoenix eight. But there is still some talent.
North Lawndale picked up a 75-67 victory at Farragut behind big games from senior Arnez Jones and junior Thomas Hayes.
Jones, a 6-5 wing, is one of the most promising little-known seniors in the area. He displayed a real flair for passing and finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds.
‘‘I’m just playing hard on defense and moving the ball and trusting my teammates,’’ Jones said. ‘‘It’s a new coach and a new environment, but it has been good. I’m in the gym every day, working. This is our turning point. We started slow, but we can finish the season strong.’’
Hayes, a 6-1 guard, scored 29 points, including seven in a 10-0 burst to open the second half that gave the Phoenix (7-8, 3-4 Red West) a 47-34 lead. Farragut, however, roared back and led 66-63 after a three-point play by senior guard Latrell Kelley with 5:17 left.
‘‘We just had to stay mentally in the game and not let the crowd or anything else distract us,’’ Hayes said.
North Lawndale responded with an 8-0 run to take control again.
‘‘We’ve been working on the unselfishness,’’ Stephen Thorpe said. ‘‘[Jones and Hayes] are great scorers, so they bring the attention. We are working on making the next pass and believing in each other. We did that very well today.’’
The Phoenix have had some difficulty scheduling games because they share a gym with Collins, but the slate is picking up now.
‘‘This is a big moment for us,’’ Thorpe said. ‘‘We have two more games this week. I knew there would be a time where we turned the corner, and it is better to have that close to the city playoffs. We are in a good place now.’’
Kelley led the Admirals (6-12, 2-4) with 32 points and seven rebounds. He’s a four-year varsity starter whose game has matured. He’s making good decisions with the ball and controlling the tempo.
Kelley got some attention from colleges and the media as a young player, but that drifted away as Farragut began to struggle.
‘‘Right now, I’m a little bit frustrated just because we’ve had tough losses,’’ Kelley said. ‘‘We lost to Marshall and Manley in tough ones and another one tonight. But we are getting better. We need to work on the little things, like boxing out and knowing when to foul and when not to foul. And the two technicals at the end really hurt us.’’
