Caleb Jones (far left) prepares to lead Holly Pond’s second unit on the court during the second half of a game against Locust Fork this season.

HOLLY POND — The Broncos’ starting five is a well-known commodity.

We all know about Drew Jones, who leads the Class 3A No. 2 Green and White with 18.6 points per game.

We all know about Matt Cahoon, who can leap and dunk with the best of them.

We all know about Bailey Smith, Griffin Morris and Dawson Faust, all of whom bring superb hoops skills to the table.

That talented quintet is a huge reason Holly Pond enters Tuesday’s state semifinal bout versus No. 1 Midfield with a 32-1 record — as well as a 16-game winning streak and a bevy of school records.

But it’s not the starters who’ve turned a solid season into a truly remarkable campaign. Rather, it’s the unit that doesn’t enter the game until around the three- or four-minute mark of each and every first quarter.

The replacements. Five in, five out. Like clockwork.

And they don’t just provide stopgap minutes, either. 

Not according to Jones.

“Our second group is something special,” the senior said. “They’d probably start on a lot of varsity teams in the county. It really boosts everyone’s confidence, those guys coming off the bench all season. They’ve stepped up and contributed.”

The terrific host of second-teamers, which includes Caleb Jones, Jake Harris, McKinley Garrett, Andrew Shaw, Tanner Duke, Michael Lambert, Reid Hollis and Zach Shaw, have come through time and time again for the Green and White.

Whether it’s continuing the early momentum or simply offering a spark, the bench has been a key component throughout the Broncos’ run to a state tournament appearance, their first since 2013.

“It’s hard to keep up with the starters, because they are really good,” Caleb Jones said. “But we do our best. We want to just maintain whatever we start and wear the opponent down with our defense. For us, since we don’t really have as many scorers, we really have, need to move the ball well. We’ll be ready to keep up the pressure on Tuesday.”

For coach Mitch Morris, the ability to play 13 able bodies in any and all situations has proved to be quite handy.

Although the Green and White entertained a pair of close outings in last week’s Northwest Regional Tournament, the longtime Bronco coach didn’t hesitate to stick with his substitution philosophy, which developed long before the season started.

“It’s been really big for us,” Morris said. “Going into the year, I didn’t really know how it would work, because I’ve never had this luxury before. We didn’t know how long we would do it, either, but the more we did it, the more they got comfortable with it. It kind of took off from there. They play hard, they pass the ball, they shoot well. It’s been a blessing.”

Morris’ insistence on subbing Jones and Co. into hairy situations — look no further than Wallace State — hasn’t been lost on the well-conditioned senior and his cohorts.

In fact, it’s done nothing but buoy their belief in themselves.

“It makes us confident for sure,” he said. “We want to go in there and do what we can to help us win the game, whatever that is.”

The role the second unit plays on Tuesday remains to be seen.

However, one thing is all but guaranteed.

The same group will be in the same spot at the same time inside the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex — steady, ready and willing to do whatever job needs to be done.

“We bring in that second squad for their energy,” Morris said. “It lets the first unit rest and get their focus back. It’s been helpful this year. There have been several games that we haven’t started well, and those guys have came in and done their part. I trust them completely.”