Collin Alexander, talented freshmen play roles for Okemos boys basketball in opening win

OKEMOS − Collin Alexander has some varsity experience under his belt.

And that alone is significant for the Okemos boys basketball team, which has a number of new faces and several talented underclassmen on what is a young roster.

With his experience, one of Alexander's top missions is to help the Wolves win as many games as possible,

And Alexander was among the contributors as Okemos opened the season with a 58-44 victory over Sexton.

Alexander had seven of his 11 points in the second half, including five during a pivotal stretch in the third quarter following a run by the J-Dubbs.

"Any of our guys that have any experience we're leaning really hard on them just because there are so many new faces," Okemos coach Jeff Wonch said. "Collin is a guy that's been around and played in some really big games. Leadership, we definitely need that."

While veterans like Alexander will be important, the Wolves also got some big minutes from their talented freshman duo of Trevor Smith and K.J. Torbert. Both were on the court following an Okemos timeout that came when Sexton had pulled within two with 4:52 to play in the third quarter.

Smith and Torbert played roles in 11 of the 13 points scored by the Wolves to end the quarter to extend their lead to nine. Smith had a basket out of the timeout and assisted on a 3 by Alexander. Torbert hit a 3, split a pair of free throws and assisted on an inside score for Alexander.

Torbert had six points in the second half for the Wolves.

"It's really nice seeing the young guys step up and doing a lot," Alexander said. "We'll really need it this year.

Wonch agreed, and said it's a good sign for the Wolves going forward.

"It just means that the sky's the limit for our team," Wonch said. "We can keep getting them in those situations and they're going to make some mistakes, but I think as a team, with our depth, we can figure some stuff out."

Dai'john Chandler had a game-high 21 points for Sexton, which included 17 in the opening half.

"We're still striving and we've got a few things we've got to polish up but I feel like this team is going to get better and better as the season goes on," Sexton coach Dale Beard said.

More:Boys basketball roundup: Strong fourth quarter vaults Waverly

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Okemos boys basketball tops Sexton in opener