The Helias boys basketball squad is so deep, at times Friday night it looked like a hockey team.
Time after time during Friday's Jamboree hosted by the Crusaders, Helias brought in enough substitutes it resembled a line change in hockey.
That depth figures to be a strength for the team, which returns the bulk of its players coming off a third-place finish in the state in Class 4 last season.
"It's a good group of kids we have back," Helias coach Josh Buffington said. "... We're confident in several individuals. Anybody we put on the floor, we can have them contribute greatly. I think you're going to see several different leading scorers on different nights this season."
The Jamboree featured each team playing two scrimmages consisting of three periods, with each period lasting six minutes.
Even with the shortened games, Helias had eight different players score in each game, with a total of 10 scoring on the night.
Helias opened the night against Fatima and led wire-to-wire. The Crusaders were up 13-9 after one period and 34-21 after two before claiming a 44-28 win.
Hale Hentges, not that far removed from a standout football season, led the team with 11 points despite not starting. Close behind was another bench contributor, as Weston Porter pumped in nine points. Isiah Sykes was next in line with eight.
The Crusaders closed their night against Blair Oaks and they hit the Falcons with an early burst to lead 22-8 just five minutes into the contest.
Helias led 22-14 after one period, 35-24 after two and 50-35 when the game ended.
Sam Husting ripped the nets for 13 points against Blair Oaks, nailing three 3-pointers. Collin Caywood and Trevor Koelling added eight apiece.
"We're still putting our pieces together a little bit," Buffington said. "It's going to take us a little while to click and start flowing. We've only had our football guys back for a couple days. We gave them four or five days off after their season, which was very well deserved on their part."
Helias opens the regular season Dec. 4-6 at the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Classic hosted by Springfield Parkview.