Mustangs gain good experience

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005

Since his arrival three years ago, Barrie boys basketball coach Jack Mitchell has attempted to build up his program and improve the team’s standing in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference with a rugged non-conference schedule.

That philosophy has continued this season with the team’s inclusion in last weekend’s Bishop Ireton Tip-Off Tournament and the team’s soon-to-be appearances at the Bullis Holiday Classic and the Hammond Christmas Tournament.

While the Mustangs are still struggling to produce wins out of the league — they lost 71-41 to Ireton (Va.) Saturday and 69-41 to Friendship Edison (D.C.) Sunday — the experience gained against such tough opponents the past two years and the maturation of the program’s once young lineup has helped Barrie (4-3) jump out to a 3-0 record in PVAC North Division play with wins over Jewish Day, McLean and Sandy Spring Friends.

The Mustangs have won nine games in each of the last two years and they compiled an 8-10 mark in league play last winter.

‘‘Any time you remain undefeated in conference play in December, that’s a big boost going into January,” Mitchell said. ‘‘We’re hitting the tough part of our schedule. We play these tournaments over at Ireton — it’s great to play against WCAC teams. The experience and exposure [is invaluable].

‘‘We want our kids to try and compete regardless of the score. It’s still basketball. There are still things we can learn. We challenge our guys before the game to just give their best. If they’re able to do that, we’ll get something out of this. Hopefully in the long run, this will help us in our PVAC competition.”

Next up for Barrie is the Bullis Holiday Classic, where it will open against area powerhouse Notre Dame Academy (Va.) Friday at 3 p.m. The rest of the field includes Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title contenders Towson Catholic and Archbishop Spalding, Southern Maryland Christian, the SEED School, Avalon and Bullis.

‘‘We’re in the PVAC and in the hierarchy, the PVAC isn’t at the top so it’s nice to rub shoulders with higher-profile programs in the area,” Mitchell said. ‘‘It’s a great opportunity and challenge.”

Besides the two losses at Ireton, the Mustangs also defeated Sandy Spring (2-5 overall, 2-2 in the PVAC through Sunday) by a 47-39 score. They’ve been led in the early going this season by Eric White, Jeff Whitaker, Justin Graves and Ian Masone.