Last year, Mitchell and Limarzi had a rough start in their respective first seasons, combining for 13 wins in 47 games. The going hasn't been easy this season either, but both programs are showing signs of growth, led by Mitchell's Mustangs, who improved to 2-5 overall, and 2-2 in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference, with Friday's 48-35 win over the host Wildebeest.

Barrie started last week by taking PVAC heavyweight Covenant Life (6-1 overall, 3-1 PVAC) to the wire on Dec. 6 before falling, 37-36. It also fell by just eight points to defending league champion Jewish Day and would have beaten Wilson (D.C.) if not for a late turnover.

"We're hoping this is a good step for us in terms of our confidence and playing well at the end," said Mitchell, whose previous coaching experience includes stints at Good Counsel, Ireton (Va.), McNamara, Gonzaga (D.C.) and the U.S. Naval Academy. "We didn't give in this time. We played strong. Each game is going to be a dogfight in this conference."

Friday's loss dropped Sandy Spring to 1-3 overall and in the league, but the Wildebeest have also exhibited signs of progress that include a narrow overtime loss to McLean last Monday and a strong showing in a setback to Covenant Life. They opened the season with a 16-point win over Washington Waldorf.

"In spots, we played well and we're certainly improving, getting better, but we're not quite ready to make that leap to the top half of the conference and that's sort of frustrating," said Limarzi, who has learned his trade under the direction of former Bullis coach Mike Hibbs, former DeMatha coach Morgan Wootten and Mitchell at Ireton. "We're going to keep working to make sure we get there by January, February."

Adding to Limarzi's frustration Friday was his team's 20 turnovers, many unforced, which helped keep Sandy Spring's offensive output under 40 points for the second time this season.

"We came out for the second half really flat," said Wildebeest point guard Mike Davis, who finished with 6 points. "Defense was our biggest problem. We didn't switch off on the picks. We left a lot of guys open and on offense. We just weren't thinking -- forcing bad passes, making bad passes overall. There were a lot of unpressured turnovers. They took advantage of our sloppy play, so they deserved to win."

Those defensive woes helped the Mustangs jump out to a 15-6 first-quarter lead and a 24-10 advantage early in the second quarter. Perry Graham (14 points) scored 6 points during that impressive start and Eric White (10 points) stroked a 3-pointer.

Sandy Spring, however, responded with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 26-21 by halftime. Andrew Klontz (10 points, 8 rebounds) started and ended the run with a jump shot and a layup. In between, Davis converted two free throws and scored on a steal, and Woody Fuller knocked down a 3-pointer. Barrie center Eli Sachs (13 points, 8 rebounds) finally stopped the spurt with a layup right before halftime.

"It was good to get a win finally," Sachs said. "Sandy Spring's a pretty tough team. We played pretty well throughout the whole game."

Graham and White produced 4 points apiece in the third quarter to help push Barrie back to a more comfortable 38-29 lead. The Mustangs then pulled away for good with an 8-2 fourth-quarter run that was fueled by good offensive execution, stingy defense and just enough converted free throws (4 for 8).

"The PVAC is going to be very tough at the end, and Sandy Spring is going to be right there with everybody," Mitchell said. "Believe me, they're going to get better just like we're trying to get better."