Tyler Martin knows what makes the Wilson boys basketball team successful. Talented players have helped the Lakemen win consecutive Niagara-Orleans League titles, sure, but Martin knows it’s the hustle that makes the difference on the Lake Ontario shoreline.

“We just come hard and work hard in practice every day,” Martin said.

The 5-foot-8 senior returns at point guard for a Wilson team that suffered a similar fate to start the season. Winless in its two-game tournament to start the year, the Lakemen have gotten red-hot and won six straight, including a 4-0 mark to begin the N-O schedule.

It’s an impressive start for a Wilson squad low on depth to start the season. Despite starting five seniors, Martin is the only returning starter.

“He started for us at the point last year and got a lot of experience in big games,” Wilson coach Brett Sippel said. “He’s the guy that handles the ball for us, he runs the floor and our fast break is predicated on the ball being in his hands. He makes a lot of decisions with the ball, so we ask him to do a lot.”

Martin said its work ethic that has made the difference for Wilson (6-2, 4-0 N-O) this season.

“Being on this team, it’s good to be a leader and set examples for the younger kids,” Martin said. “Just get them to work hard, and it’s been working. They’ve been working hard and it’s been paying off. It feels good.”

Martin stepped up big for Wilson last season, hitting a big 3-pointer in the Class B-2 semifinals against Cleveland Hill in March. Wearing an injured senior’s number, Martin hit the biggest shot of the season and advanced the Lakemen to their second B-2 finals in five seasons.

Sippel said that Martin doesn’t stray away from the big moments.

“I feel comfortable with the ball in his hands,” Sippel said. “He doesn’t turn the ball over frequently. We are really aggressive and that can be a lot for a point guard to handle on the floor.”

Calm and collected, younger players are beginning to follow Martin’s lead. Matt Baker, a 5-11 junior guard, checked in during the third quarter of a 57-36 win against Newfane last week. Baker promptly scored eight points and grabbed a handful of tough rebounds inside, an effort that made his senior captain proud.

“He definitely was heating up there,” Martin said. “We’re just getting some confidence in the little guy. He’s just got so much potential and he showed it.”

Sippel said getting production from his younger guards is a reflection of Martin’s style of play.

“It helps having Tyler with some experience when kids come in off the bench,” Sippel said. “Knowing that he’s out there to handle the basketball, I think they get confidence from his actions as well.”

Martin and the Lakemen got a leg up on Newfane in their quest for a third straight N-O crown, but Sippel said there’s plenty of basketball ahead for Wilson this season.

“The league is very, very tight this year,” Sippel said. “We feel that every single night will be a tough game for us.”

Martin, who travels with the Lakemen to Albion at 7 tonight, thinks Wilson is ready for the grind.

“I would love to go all the way, hopefully win the B-2 sectionals, but we have to worry about the league first,” Martin said. “We have a long league schedule ahead of us. We’re going to work hard and we’ll see what happens.”