Harris drops 40 as Panthers rally to top Rappahannock

Charles City's Noah Ragland (right) outhustles Rappahannock's Marcus Byrd to a loose ball during a third quarter scrum.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City’s Panthers have seen their share of dramatic endings so far in the 2013-14 season; and it’s only game four.

Antonio Harris scored 30 of his game-high 40 points in the second half as the host Panthers rallied from a double-digit deficit to turn back the invading Rappahannock Raiders 69-65 in a Dec. 11 contest.

Leading 15-11 after the opening quarter, the Panthers were poised to avenge a 65-50 loss from the previous week to the Raiders. But the visitors turned up the offensive attacks as Tevin Fisher knocked down back-to-back three-pointers. Raider teammate Kilvante Ellis also dialed one up from long distance in what turned into a 17-4 Rappahannock run to end the first half, giving the visitors a 30-21 lead.

Despite their best efforts, the Panthers were unable to chip away points from Rappahannock in the third quarter. With a 51-43 lead holding up into the fourth and maintaining a controlled pace, Rappahannock’s Marquise Lanier scored a lay-up to put the guests up by 10.

Harris’ takeover commenced after the Raider bucket, as he converted an elbow jumper and followed it up with a three-ball to halve the Raider lead (53-48). After a Rappahannock time out, Harris converted an easy basket and was followed by teammate Michael Callahan’s corner three to narrow the gap to 55-53. Thomas Kelly took a charge from Fisher that resulted in Harris’ subsequent lay-up to tie the game at 55 apiece.

Fisher’s free throw returned the lead to the Raiders, but only temporarily as Noah Ragland’s free throws were followed by a Harris lay-up to give Charles City a 59-56 lead. Harris tacked on the next four points to spread the margin to seven in what culminated as a 20-3 Panthers’ run and a 63-56 lead, the largest on the night for the hosts.

Ellis’ dropped in a couple of free throws and then pinned Harris’ shot attempt to the backboard. The ball ricocheted into the front court and into the hands of Fisher, who dropped his fifth trifecta on the night. Fisher returned down the court on the next trip, pump-faking one Panther defender and laying the ball up to knot the game at 63 apiece with less than 45 seconds left in the contest. Rappahannock regained the lead as Marcus Byrd’s up and under lay-in upped the score in favor of the guests (65-63).

With 26 seconds remaining, Harris converted the first of two free throws, with his second caroming off the rim. Rappahannock’s Ellis rebounded the ball while outstretched on the floor. In his attempt to pass it, he rose to his knees, resulting in a traveling violation and returning possession to the Panthers.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Harris drew double team pressure from Raider defenders, leaving Callahan open in the corner once again. The sophomore forward nailed the clutch three-pointer to give the hosts a 67-65 lead with 22.1 seconds remaining.

Rappahannock elected not to call a time out, pushing the ball down the floor. A pass by Ellis to find Fisher was deflected and stolen by Craig McElroy. McElroy threw a long outlet pass to Harris who scored his 40th point and sealed the hosts’ 69-65 victory.

After the game, Charles City head coach Aaron Dodge spoke on the uplifting performance by Harris.

“The first half was rough for Antonio [Harris],” said the coach. “He had good looks but nothing fell. He knows he has to score for us and when he does, he becomes a distraction for other teams.

“His scoring helped open up Callahan who hit the three,” continued the coach. “He may have an awkward shot but he’s consistent and it goes in.”

Dodge also commented about the better defensive effort his team put forward, compared to the first encounter with the Raiders.

“We knew they were athletic and we couldn’t play man,” Dodge added. “Tonight, we wanted to confuse them with our defenses by switching it every time down the floor and it paid dividends. We did everything tonight that we wanted to do, and that includes getting the win.”

Harris’ 40 led all scorers, while Kelly also finished in double figures for the Panthers with 11. Ragland, Callahan, and McElroy rounded out the scoring with six apiece for victorious Charles City (2-2).

Rappahannock (3-1) received a team-high 26 points from Fisher.

Panther forward Thomas Kelly takes to the sky over Raider defenders Marquise Lanier (10) and Jamal Fisher.