ST. JOHNS - The Okemos boys basketball team came back to top St. Johns, 49-40, on Thursday night during their last regular season game.

The Chiefs were off to a rough start in the first quarter, only scoring five points, while the Redwings were able to bank 13.

"I thought we started a little lethargic, a little slow, and I give St. Johns a lot of credit, because they were executing and getting what they wanted, and we weren't getting what we wanted,” Okemos head coach Jeff Wonch said.

The second quarter wasn’t much different.

Okemos was able to put up nine more points, taking them to 14, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to St. Johns’ 21 points.

Halftime proved to be beneficial for the Chiefs, bringing back energy from the locker room.

Still, the Okemos offense missed more shots than it made, while the Redwings dribbled and snuck inside the paint for layups and rebounds.

The Chiefs closed in on the Redwings at the end of the third, 30-25, and Okemos was determined to get on top in the fourth quarter.

Okemos Chaz Richardson, Gerald Sambaer and Luke Stagg all went up for layups, made their shots and took the fouls.

What made the difference for Okemos and gave them the win were the free throws from those fouls, and it was a good free throw day for the Chiefs, making 11 out of 13.

“Sometimes I think it's just seeing the ball go through the basket a few times, they just kind of fed off it, got some confidence,” Wonch said. “We just weren't shooting with confidence, and in the second half we were.”

Okemos reached 49 points, coming from its 25 points in the third quarter.

While the Chiefs tried to keep possession of the ball and keep time rolling, St. Johns pressured to score those needed baskets to keep the lead.

Time eventually ran out and the Chiefs brought home the win, 49-40.

“I was really proud of our guys and how they responded at halftime and really came out, especially in the fourth quarter,” Wonch said.

Okemos will head to their first district game on Monday.

“It's districts so win or go home, so hopefully we come out a bit better,” Wonch said.