By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area

Video Galleries:   1st Half   2nd Half

The boys' basketball banner in the Raider gymnasium -- same as the others hanging alongside it -- seems almost naked.

Two dates are ironed on, white text against blue background. They commemorate a Potomac District title in 1977 and a Northern Region championship in 1996.

But given the meteoric rise of the program since the arrival of its coach, Tony Harris from rival Falls Church, it will not likely be long before those distant dates get some company.

Paced by an explosive third quarter, Stuart defeated perennial contender Herndon, 59-53, at home in the first round of the Northern Region Tournament on Monday.

"We wanted to get to the eight. Now that we've done that, we want to move on to the next stage," said Harris, in his second season. "These kids deserve that. They work hard every day. They've been working on it for two years. I think we finally got what we deserve."

Harris knows firsthand what it's like to play high-school basketball against elite competition. A graduate of Fairfax in 1983, he battled the likes of Duke legend Tommy Amaker, a W.T. Woodson graduate, on his way to top-tier regional games at Robinson.

With the return of the Northern Region Tournament to Robinson this year from nearby George Mason University, Harris hopes his players have that opportunity, as well.

"It's very gratifying because I have so many seniors who haven't won a regional playoff game," he said. "One of our big goals is to get to Robinson ... so the kids can experience that. I played in this area. I've been here most of my life. I know what that atmosphere used to be like at Robinson back in the day.

"I think every high-school kid should experience that. I'm doing my best to get them there and they're doing their best to get there."

The Raiders were at their brightest during the third quarter.

Entering the half on the momentum of a spinning fast-break lay-in by senior guard Antonio Harris, Coach Harris' son, Stuart picked up precisely where it left off after the break.

The Raiders started the third period on a 17-6 run, leading by as much as 16 points before back-to-back-to-back Hornet baskets cut the lead to nine at quarter's end.

"Our conditioning kicked in for us," Tony Harris said. "We do a lot of running, which is important because we have a lot of athletes on our team. We do a lot of conditioning work. If we can get to the third quarter, the third quarter is where we pick it up.

"We come out at halftime, get our second wind, get a little more trapping -- a little more active on defense -- got in the passing lanes."

Added Antonio Harris, who scored a team-high 19 points: "We came in the locker room and I looked in the guys' eyes and saw how bad they wanted it. We came out as a team and tried to execute the game plan to perfection."

But Herndon, historically a team at its best during the postseason, did not watch its year end without protest.

The Hornets, riding a game-high 22 points by first-team All-Concorde District forward Isaac Johnson, stormed back into contention with defensive pressure.

With just under 2 minutes remaining, Herndon had an open look at a game-tying 3-pointer. And with :36.4 seconds to go, a pair of Johnson free throws cut Stuart's lead to two.

The Raiders, having both spelled comebacks and spoiled late-game leads all season, prevailed thanks largely to reliable free-throw shooting by senior guard Tre Ford, Coach Harris' nephew.

With the win, Stuart advances to face No. 8 T.C. Williams, the defending Virginia AAA state champions, with a berth in the Northern Region final four at stake.

"We're ecstatic," said son Harris, the team's leading scorer. "We also know that -- how big this game was -- we also know that we have to come back tomorrow and get ready for the game on Wednesday."

Added Coach Harris: "I knew the kids would revert back to Wakefield and other games where we faded down the stretch ... Because of the game against Wakefield, we knew how to bounce back from that. We didn't panic, we didn't give it up, we let them come back and we still stuck it out. I wanted that.

"I told them early I wanted every way: I want a blowout, I want a close game, I want a come-from-behind game, I want another team to come from behind and tie it up. And we did that. Now I hope, next game, we can win by as many points as possible so I don't have to stress."

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Herndon        12  11  13  17  --  53
Stuart            14  14  17  14  --  59

Herndon -- Johnson 8 5-6 22; A. Hamilton 5 2-5 15; M. Hamilton 3 0-0 6; Anane 1 2-4 5; Ozycz 2 0-0 4; Auker 0 1-2 1.
Team totals: 19 10-17 53.
Stuart -- A. Harris 6 6-8 19; Watson 3 5-6 11; Kosh 3 3-3 10; Ford 2 5-8 9; Ibrahim 3 1-1 8; Zaman 1 0-0 2.
Team totals: 18 20-26 59.
Three pointers -- Herndon 5 (A. Hamilton 3, Johnson, Anane); Stuart 3 (Harris, Kosh, Ibrahim).