Tolliver's a force as Farragut rolls

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:50PM

Farragut senior DJ Tolliver's confidence is evident the moment he

steps onto the basketball court. He has all the swagger of a star city

basketball player.

The Admirals' success or failure this season will hinge on Tolliver,

their leader and most talented player. If he continues to be the

defensive wrecking ball he was in Farragut's 57-33 win over visiting

Harlan on Tuesday, good things could be in store for the Admirals.

"I take pride in my defense," Tolliver said. "I know it's something I can do to get the rest of the team ready to go. It gives everyone a

lift when you steal the ball."

Tolliver finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, six steals and four

blocked shots. He was the only stable presence in a very strange game.

Harlan, led by point guard Deonte Johnson, was able to play with

Farragut in the first half. Johnson scored nine points in the second

quarter and the Falcons headed to locker room only trailing 20-16.

But a 13-4 run that closed the last five minutes of the third quarter seemed to break Harlan's spirit. The Admirals ended up winning by four points more than they managed to score in the first half.

"We've been slow getting started so far this season," Farragut coach

William Nelson said. "We've got all the pieces to be a very good team

once we get everything together."

Gabe Williams scored 15 points and had five rebounds and four steals

for the Admirals (2-1). Jonathan Collins added 10 points and four

rebounds.

Farragut forced Harlan into 26 turnovers.

"We had a bunch of steals and forced a lot of turnovers in our first

two games too," Nelson said. "Our press is working really well, we

just weren't converting those steals into points at the other end."

Johnson and Derek Nathaniel each scored 12 points for the Falcons (4-2).

Harlan star Shaquille Hines–who is getting some attention from

Division I schools–was held without a field goal in the game. He

finished with three rebounds and one point, on a free throw.

"You could tell it was over after the third quarter," Tolliver said.

"This is a tough gym for teams to come and play in. It's a complicated

place."

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