Tolland Boys Qualify For State Tournament With Victory at Fermi

Forced into a must-win situation, the boys basketball team responded.

Led by a double-double from Taylor Fortin, the Eagles held off a pesky  squad and defeated the Falcons 74-59 Friday night in Enfield.

The win assured Tolland (8-12) a place in the Class M state tournament. A loss would have eliminated the Eagles from contention.

"Our kids responded," Tolland coach Mike Lewis said. "Our point guard, Taylor Fortin, took control of the game and made things happen for all of our guys."

Fortin had 15 points and 10 assists, as Tolland placed four players in double figures. Andrew Roussey led all scorers with 18 points, Corey Keane contributed 12 and Kris Strobel added 10.

Fermi (2-18) trailed 17-16 after one quarter, and 35-28 at halftime. A 17-10 third quarter gave Tolland a 14-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.

A 16-4 run early in the fourth quarter provided the Eagles their largest margin at 68-45. The scrappy Falcons refused to quit, and a quartet of three-pointers, including two in a row by Joe Bowker, kept the score respectable.

Bowker led Fermi with 14 points, while Alex Zachary had 11 and Dan Palmer tallied 10.

"I was pleased with the way they represented themselves," Fermi coach Vern Mitchell said. "They're a great bunch of kids, they came out and played hard."

A season of ups and downs for Tolland began with the Eagles losing four of their first five outings. They were forced to forfeit a January game to East Catholic amid investigation into a locker room incident in Rocky Hill, then won three of their next five before dropping three straight prior to Friday.

"It's a testament to the kids," Lewis said. "We're all accountable; you make a mistake, you pay your consequences and you move on. That's what our kids have done, and they've played pretty well."

The Eagles will most likely participate in a play-in game in the state tournament, as 34 teams qualified for postseason play in Class M. The brackets will be announced Saturday.