Wheeler senior Marek Barton knows winning.

He was part of three straight sectional championships as a midfielder for the boys soccer team. So this basketball season has been especially satisfying for Barton, a 6-foot-1 center/forward who is also a hurdler and jumper in track and field.

“Soccer is not my primary sport, but I like to try to expand my horizons, not just limit myself to one thing or the other,” he said. “I just try to keep working.”

Barton and the Bearcats (11-11), who open Class 2A Hebron Sectional play against Andrean on Tuesday, have persevered. They have matched their total number of victories from the previous five seasons combined and have their most victories since going 17-7 in 2016-17.

“We came into the season a little more focused,” Barton said. “That’s been different from previous years. Rather than coming into a season being like, ‘Oh, we have strong opponents, all these teams that could beat us,’ we came in there ready to actually make a difference and do better. We haven’t been complacent.”

Barton is the second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for the Bearcats, averaging 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds. He averaged 7.0 points and a team-high 4.4 rebounds last season.

Barton has grown from a sophomore reserve, when he was more focused on defense, into a two-year captain who is “not so in the background,” he said.

“Marek is just a super focused, driven individual,” third-year Wheeler coach Byron Faulstich said. “He is the lead-by-example guy. He’s not super vocal. But he’s always giving 100% effort.

“Right or wrong, he’s our 6-foot center who has to guard guys 5, 6 inches bigger than him. He just makes life so tough for them. Instead of saying, ‘Oh, I’m shorter, I don’t have any chance at all,’ he gets after guys that are quote-unquote bigger, faster, stronger than him, and he makes their lives miserable.”

Barton is a co-captain with forward/guard Carter Blane, the only other senior on the roster. Blane is averaging 6.5 points and team highs of 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

“He’s just a good leader overall,” Blane said of Barton. “Having him putting in the work every day, it’s great. Losing games or winning games, he just brings the effort. He always shows out.”

Barton and Blane further built their bond after Blane joined the boys soccer team during their junior year. Blane said he played the sport for the first time at the behest of friends. After Blane got some time as a central defender on the junior varsity team in 2023, the coaches approached him to succeed standout goalkeeper Spencer Schaberg. Blane said he “worked months and months” in the offseason to secure the position.

Blane has stepped forward for the boys basketball team too.

“Carter’s always been a force on the court, just being a team player,” Barton said. “He’s that guy you can rely on to get stops, make layups or just consistently put in the effort on the court. This year, especially, he’s become a really good leader for the team.”

Blane’s style complements Barton’s.

“Carter is the vocal leader,” Faulstich said. “He’s the guy who gets after his teammates, like, ‘This needs to happen. That needs to happen.’ He also gives great effort. But he’s the passionate one, and that passion spills over to the other guys. He’s the heartbeat of the team.

“He’s also an undersized post player. We’re an undersized team in general, and we just make up for that in defensive intensity and effort.”

The results have been considerably improved, and Faulstich believes Barton and Blane have helped lay a foundation for the Bearcats.

“They’re our captains,” Faulstich said. “They’re our leaders. They’ve been so vital. They’re the reason for our increased level of success this season. It’s because of those two — their work ethic, their leadership. I can’t say enough good things about both of them.”