The Laker's sixth man this season, senior Logan Smith, is everything you want in a high school basketball player. He has the strength, toughness, grit and willpower to battle in the post against much taller competitors and rip away rebounds with ease.

His solid build is also an imposing sight for opposing teams and his time on the floor is indicative of how hard he plays. Smith is earning big minutes late in the season thanks to his endless motor and a competitive spirit that won't stop.

"Like a lot of people surrounding us, I didn't think we could win as much as we had," Smith said. "We've lost several close ones but we had our chances."

Smith said he is priding himself on defense for the 15-9 Lakers, the number one seed in the 16th district tournament which begins Monday in Edmonton with a matchup against Cumberland County, in hopes of winning several more big ballgames.

"It is mainly what I'm on the court for," Smith said of his defensive efforts. "I'm not a big scoring threat but I can defend and rebound. I try and do what I can."

Smith is noted for doing the little things on the court to help his team win, the things that do not always show up on the stat sheet. Averaging anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes per game, Feldhaus is also showing his confidence in the senior. On a given night, it is not out of Smith's ordinary to grab eight rebounds and score six to eight points on offensive rebound putbacks and when it comes time to set a pick, there are few defenders in the state that could make it through one set by Smith.

"I think everybody expects for us to win district and bring the trophy back, then make a run in region," he said.

With the season still a go for at least another week, if not more, Smith said he will miss hoops season once it finally ends.

"I'll miss being around the underclassmen, mainly," he said. "Just spending time with them and helping them out with life and sports."

As a senior role model for the younger players on the Laker squad, Smith too, said he would miss the influence and leadership of Coach Willie Feldhaus.

"I've known him for a long time and he's just one of those guys who will always be there for you no matter what," he said. "He is a great coach. Coach Coffey and Coach Johnson also helped me before I got to Coach Feldhaus."

He also thanked his parents for coming to the games and supporting him, whatever sport he participated in.

When his time at RCHS is up, Smith, who was also a star football player for the Lakers, plans to attend college and major in a science field, more than likely chemistry. But as he put it, there are still more games to play now … and he's right.