Nate Schneider
Sports Scene
When one winning streak ends, simply start a new one.
The red-hot Okemos boys basketball team enjoyed a seven-game winning streak that lasted the duration of January and into February, which included a 60-55 victory over powerful East Lansing to draw into a first-place tie in the Capital Area Activities Conference standings.
Although the win streak was finally ended when the Chieftains were edged 53-52 at Holt on Feb. 10, a new two-game winning streak has transpired since as Okemos has won a pair of home games versus Lansing Sexton (74-57) and Jackson (84-53).
Life has clearly been good lately for the Chieftains.
“Our guys are doing a really nice job of playing their roles,” head coach Jeff Wonch said. “They are selfless and unselfish. They’re really starting to feed off each other and share the ball. We’ve had some guys come through in big moments in the many close games we’ve had. There is a lot of leadership within this team.”
Okemos does not have a lot of experience on the roster, relying on only three seniors to go with a junior core of nine players plus one sophomore.
But the three seniors all play a significant role. Patrick Nugent is a major interior piece who is a physical performer and strong rebounder. Gerald Sambaer III is the team’s top vocal leader from a guard position, while fellow guard Jordan Henry has a starring role as the Chieftains’ leading scorer and someone who comes through in big moments.
“We definitely wouldn’t be where we are without significant contributions from all our seniors,” Wonch remarked.
Okemos is currently 13-4 and searching for its first conference title since 2011, with a big home rematch with East Lansing on tap Feb. 23. But it wasn’t an easy road for the Chieftains, who sat at 4-3 overall following a 46-40 loss at Troy Athens back on Dec. 29.
“There was too much one-on-one basketball going on early in the season,” Wonch added. “Our guys have learned the best way to win games is to trust their teammates and play together on the court.”
What would a conference title mean to Okemos?
“It would be huge,” Wonch added. “Our conference is very difficult and our focus has been on going after that conference championship. We’re taking it one game at a time and we certainly haven’t looked ahead to that East Lansing game because that’s when you get tripped up by another opponent. We’re having fun with this season and continuing to improve each day.”