Sterling, Va. — The Dominion High School boys basketball team was looking to start 2025 on a positive note against Herndon after Winter Break but winter flurries moved into the area, delaying the game until the early afternoon on January 4. Still, more rest didn’t faze either team as they showed off their skills in a back-and-forth battle that came down to the last second.
With just 0.6 seconds left on the clock, Dominion senior guard Jakob-Jude Salgado put up a chance but Herndon senior guard Tobin Haire blocked the shot to give the Hornets a 53-52 win in Sterling.
“I was proud of [the players]for sticking together and showing a little grit,” Herndon coach Kevin Quinlan said. “The game got postponed from last night, so it threw a little wrench in the works and gave us some adversity. So I was proud of them for keeping it together and finding a way to win a tough game.”
Alongside the block, Haire (24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals) scored a game-high 24 points, with 18 of those coming in the first half to keep the game close. Herndon junior forward Charlie Morgan gave the Hornets a key 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Herndon senior forward Cash Xeller grabbed 8 rebounds to go with 7 points to help the Hornets extend their win-streak to six games.
“The squad looked good today,” Haire said. “A little shaky at first, but then we got back into our rhythm and closed it out from there. Coach [Quinlan] came up with some nice play calls at the end that helped us seal the game.”
Dominion junior guard Zak Kahin knocked down 3 three-pointers to produce a team-high 17 points off the bench. Dominion senior forward Giorgio Elia (10 points, 7 rebounds), Salgado (8 points, 2 rebounds), junior guard Quinn Daignault (7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists), and senior guard Jake Feigenbaum (6 points, 5 rebounds) were the only other Titans to score above five points.
The Titans got on the board first as Feigenbaum made third-chance points to open up the scoring with a 2-0 Dominion lead.
Herndon quickly responded after Xeller found an open hole in the defense to tie the game at 2-2. Then, Haire knocked down a corner three to give the Hornets a 5-2 lead.
“[Tobin Haire’s] been a varsity player, basically a starter, for four years,” Quinlan said. “He’s going to go play at Hood [College] next year, and we rely on him for a lot of things. I was very proud of his performance offensively and defensively.”
A back-and-forth first quarter ensued with both teams leading by three points. A fast-break layup by Kahin gave Dominion a 15-12 lead with less than a minute left in the first frame. Both teams went cold to the end the quarter at the same score for the Titans.
The Dominion lead grew to 19-12 to start the second quarter after two layups by Kahin, forcing coach Quinlen to call a Herndon timeout. The rest helped the Hornets mount a comeback after a fastbreak layup by Haire trimmed the deficit to 19-17.
On the next possession, Kahin’s triple increased the Titans lead to 22-17. A tough layup by Salgado and a free throw by Elia pushed the Dominion lead to 25-19.
Then, Haire scored six points to tie the game at 25-25 but a layup by Kahin and missed shots from both teams sent them into the locker rooms for halftime with Dominion leading 27-25.
“[The bench] lifted us up the entire game, and motivated us to push through and get it done,” Haire said. “David Castillo just got back from an ankle injury, so he picked us up and he lifts up the whole team.”
Turnovers and great defense plagued each team in the first half on the offensive end. Both teams combined for 14 takeaways—7 each—but Dominion shot 52% from the field, compared to 38% for Herndon. However, inconsistent three-point shooting hurt the Titans and allowed the Hornets to stay in the game.
Again, Dominion expanded their lead to seven points after an Elia layup gave them a 37-30 lead halfway through the third quarter. But, Herndon had an answer. Six points from Morgan and key offensive rebounds put the Hornets into the lead, 40-39.
“[Charlie Morgan] has got a world of potential,” Quinland said. “He’s got all this energy, so I was very proud of him for making some tough shots and bringing that length and energy. He was key in those last two plays on the baseline, defending the inbounder in both situations.”
A contested layup by Salgado gave the lead right back to Dominion but Herndon sophomore guard Ryan Buenaventura’s floater to end the third quarter gave the Hornets a 42-41 lead.
Herndon junior guard David Castillo knocked down a triple to open up the fourth quarter. However, Daignault responded with one of his own to keep it a one point game, 45-44.
The Herndon lead blossomed to 50-46 halfway through the quarter after Xeller found Morgan under the basket. Then, Kahim made two threes to give Dominion the lead again at 52-50.
With only a minute in regulation, Xeller attacked the rim. The referee’s whistle sounded and Xeller made the shot and his free throw to give Herndon a 53-52 lead with about 40 seconds left in the game.
After fouls and timeouts, Dominion was left with only 1.2 seconds on the clock for an inbounds score. The Titans threw the ball in but it was tipped, leaving only 0.6 seconds left after the referees added more time.
Salgado received the inbounds pass but as he turned towards the basket to let go of the ball, Haire tipped the ball giving Herndon the last second win, 53-52.
“We were focusing on not letting them come back to the rim for an easy two-point layup,” Haire said. “We wanted to force them all out [behind the three-point line].”
Dominion (0-0, 3-6) will turn their attention towards Woodgrove on January 6. Herndon tries to keep their winning momentum into Liberty District play against Yorktown on January 8.
“Hats off to Dominion,” Quinland said. “They’re a really good team this year. This is the best winning percentage we’ve had since I’ve been at Herndon. It’s the best talent and the team that’s most unified. Winning is much better than the opposite.”