The boys’ basketball team (3-2) went 2-2 at the Mavs Classic Thursday through Saturday, racking up 64-53 and 53-50 wins, against Jefferson and Ryan respectively, along with 61-50 and 55-28 losses to Plano East and John Horn.

In the eyes of assistant coach Robert Wilson, although the tournament was a mixed bag for the Redhawks, it allowed them to gain valuable experience.

“It’s always good for our guys to gain experience going against teams of that caliber,” Wilson said. “If we have goals of making or advancing in the state playoffs then we have to be ready for quick physical teams. There’s a ton of talent in 5A, and I think we learned a valuable lesson in what it takes to compete at such a high level. I fully expect our group to come out with a big win down the road because of what we took away.”

With experience gained from the tournament, junior Toshiro Mahtani is already looking ahead to the future.

“What we took away is that we have to execute even better and work even harder if we want to come out with a win,” Mahtani said. “Like a previously said we need to focus on defense and our upcoming games will be a perfect test.”