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| George Mason boys’ basketball stays unbeaten and aims for first state title | George Mason boys’ basketball stays unbeaten and aims for first state title |
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| Few local high school basketball teams have soared above their competition like the George Mason boys this season. Heading into last Thursday’s Virginia 2A East region semifinal at Bruton, the Mustangs had turned all but one of their 26 games into double-digit laughers, their dominance spearheaded by a veteran starting five that has remained the same for three years in a row. | Few local high school basketball teams have soared above their competition like the George Mason boys this season. Heading into last Thursday’s Virginia 2A East region semifinal at Bruton, the Mustangs had turned all but one of their 26 games into double-digit laughers, their dominance spearheaded by a veteran starting five that has remained the same for three years in a row. |
| That conditioned dominance filled George Mason Coach Chris Capannola with trepidation as his team struggled to keep its title hopes afloat Thursday night. Earsplitting cries from fans shook the tiny gym just outside Williamsburg after Bruton stole two consecutive inbounds passes and cut Mason’s lead to five late in the fourth quarter. | That conditioned dominance filled George Mason Coach Chris Capannola with trepidation as his team struggled to keep its title hopes afloat Thursday night. Earsplitting cries from fans shook the tiny gym just outside Williamsburg after Bruton stole two consecutive inbounds passes and cut Mason’s lead to five late in the fourth quarter. |
| “I’d like to think with all the seniors that we have that we’re going to be able to handle it,” Capannola said. “But you never really know because we’re not in that situation ever.” | “I’d like to think with all the seniors that we have that we’re going to be able to handle it,” Capannola said. “But you never really know because we’re not in that situation ever.” |
| Capannola’s boys handled it the same way they’ve handled every opponent this season: with patience, precision and a mounting desire to keep their record unblemished. | Capannola’s boys handled it the same way they’ve handled every opponent this season: with patience, precision and a mounting desire to keep their record unblemished. |
| “It’s not one of those things where, hey, maybe a loss is good. No way,” said Capannola, who calls this Mason team the best he’s coached in 15 years at the Falls Church public school. “These guys want nothing to do with that.” | “It’s not one of those things where, hey, maybe a loss is good. No way,” said Capannola, who calls this Mason team the best he’s coached in 15 years at the Falls Church public school. “These guys want nothing to do with that.” |
| The Mustangs protected the ball against Bruton’s relentless full-court press, made their free throws and left the gut check with a 68-63 triumph. The championship game, against Bluestone near the Virginia-North Carolina border two days later, proved a cakewalk by comparison. That 69-42 win on Saturday yielded Mason its first region title since 2011, a welcome accomplishment for a team that went 24-1 last year before crashing out in the second round of regionals. | The Mustangs protected the ball against Bruton’s relentless full-court press, made their free throws and left the gut check with a 68-63 triumph. The championship game, against Bluestone near the Virginia-North Carolina border two days later, proved a cakewalk by comparison. That 69-42 win on Saturday yielded Mason its first region title since 2011, a welcome accomplishment for a team that went 24-1 last year before crashing out in the second round of regionals. |
| [Loudoun Valley rolls past Champe for Virginia 4A North crown] | [Loudoun Valley rolls past Champe for Virginia 4A North crown] |
| Last year’s playoff letdown hasn’t been forgotten, but it’s not what fuels a Mason team (28-0) that went unbeaten in Conference 35 play for the second year in a row. The Mustangs are undefeated because they’re a coach’s fantasy — deep, experienced, disciplined and, most of all, smart. | Last year’s playoff letdown hasn’t been forgotten, but it’s not what fuels a Mason team (28-0) that went unbeaten in Conference 35 play for the second year in a row. The Mustangs are undefeated because they’re a coach’s fantasy — deep, experienced, disciplined and, most of all, smart. |
| “I bring a whiteboard out, but I never really use it,” Capannola said. “There’s nothing to write down. They know what to do.” | “I bring a whiteboard out, but I never really use it,” Capannola said. “There’s nothing to write down. They know what to do.” |
| With 10 seniors on the squad, the Mustangs are so accustomed to Capannola’s motion sets and fake half-court traps that they barely need to glance at their coach to know what he expects. According to Capannola, senior guard Robert Tartt has shot well over 50 percent from the floor this season, embodying a team that values finding the open man and selecting the right shot above fattening up individual stats. | With 10 seniors on the squad, the Mustangs are so accustomed to Capannola’s motion sets and fake half-court traps that they barely need to glance at their coach to know what he expects. According to Capannola, senior guard Robert Tartt has shot well over 50 percent from the floor this season, embodying a team that values finding the open man and selecting the right shot above fattening up individual stats. |
| Tartt, a springy swingman who leads the team with 17.5 points per game, became the second Mason player to ever reach 1,000 points earlier this season, and on Saturday he eclipsed Kenny Wilson’s 2001 record of 1,167 points. Yet Tartt is only part of the whole, one of about 10 players who Capannola feels comfortable throwing into the fire at any time. | Tartt, a springy swingman who leads the team with 17.5 points per game, became the second Mason player to ever reach 1,000 points earlier this season, and on Saturday he eclipsed Kenny Wilson’s 2001 record of 1,167 points. Yet Tartt is only part of the whole, one of about 10 players who Capannola feels comfortable throwing into the fire at any time. |
| “Honestly I think what makes this team is how deep we go into the bench and how hard we play on defense,” Tartt said. “We can play really, really hard on defense because we can go 11, 12 guys deep, and that really helps when we’re starting to wear teams down.” | “Honestly I think what makes this team is how deep we go into the bench and how hard we play on defense,” Tartt said. “We can play really, really hard on defense because we can go 11, 12 guys deep, and that really helps when we’re starting to wear teams down.” |
| After bringing back their top eight players from last year’s 24-2 team, it’s no wonder the Mustangs are one of the area’s most cohesive units. Tartt has been playing alongside fellow seniors Elliot Mercado, Thomas Beddow, Douglas Bossart, Devin Thomas, D’Montae Noble and Josh Allen for so long that games have started to feel more like recess than combat. | |
| “We might just be the goofiest team to ever work this hard and have a record like this,” Tartt said. | “We might just be the goofiest team to ever work this hard and have a record like this,” Tartt said. |
| Mason heads to Robinson for this Saturday’s 2A state quarterfinals against Graham, a Southwest school that will embark on a long trip north from the West Virginia border. A win there would vault the Mustangs to next weekend’s state semifinals at VCU’s Siegel Center and move them one step closer to their first state title, and with it, perfection. | Mason heads to Robinson for this Saturday’s 2A state quarterfinals against Graham, a Southwest school that will embark on a long trip north from the West Virginia border. A win there would vault the Mustangs to next weekend’s state semifinals at VCU’s Siegel Center and move them one step closer to their first state title, and with it, perfection. |
| “We can’t just go out looking to VCU because if we do it’s not going to happen,” Capannola said. “We’ll be ready Saturday.” | “We can’t just go out looking to VCU because if we do it’s not going to happen,” Capannola said. “We’ll be ready Saturday.” |
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