Farragut too tough for Panthers

Updated: March 23, 2011 3:50PM

Farragut used the perfect combination of patience and aggression to roll over Proviso West 63-51 in the 4A York Sectional semifinals Wednesday night.

DJ Tolliver led all scorers with 19 points.

"He's been big for us all year," said Farragut coach William Nelson. "His ability to handle the point all season has been big for us and I think we're playing our best basketball of the year right now."

Tolliver was especially big for Farragut at the end of the third quarter. The senior guard rebounded a missed Proviso West field goal and hit a three-pointer just inside the half-court line at the buzzer to give the Admirals a 46-36 lead.

"That was a big shot," Nelson said. "I think it broke Proviso's back a little bit."

The Admirals (23-4) never trailed in the contest and came right out of the gates with a 11-0 lead. With Proviso West in a 1-3-1 zone, Farragut didn't force the action and used good ball movement to get its looks.

"I just kept telling them to be patient, be patient," Nelson said. "We knew they would come out of the zone and go man. We were OK with that, too."

Proviso West (18-10) cut its deficit to five points with 2:55 to go in the third quarter, but Farragut never let the Panthers go on a sustained run.

Rashaun Stimage added 12 points for Farragut with a few highlight reel dunks.

Tyrone McDonald led the Panthers with 16 points. Nicholas Dixon added 14.

Farragut's win sets up a rematch with Young Friday night for the 4A York Sectional championship. The Admirals defeated the Dolphins in the regular season by two points.

"They're going to want to get that win back," Tolliver said. "We have to be ready."

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