HELENA, Mont. – Jake Hollifield and Jon Pulsifer grew up just a few miles apart separated by the Snake River Gorge and a few fields and dairy farms in Southern Idaho's Magic Valley.
 
They played against each other, Pulsifer at Twin Falls High school and Hollifield at Jerome, and were even listed on the same all-league teams. Eventually they would become teammates at Carroll College where they would help lay the foundation for success for the Saints.
 
Their senior regular-season draws to a close Saturday but the pair hopes to get the Saints back to the national tournament for the first time in half a decade.
 
Their paths to Carroll were different. Hollifield came right out of high school and joined a team that won just two games his freshman year. Pulsifer spent three seasons at perennial junior college powerhouse the College of Southern Idaho before joining the team at Carroll a season ago.
 
The two seniors are not the highest scorers on the team, Hollifield is seventh on the team with 4.4 points per game while Pulsifer scores just 2.7 points per game.
 
While they aren't leading Carroll in the scoring column the two players bring leadership on and off the court.
 
Hollifield's leadership begins on the defensive end of the court where he sets the tone for the entire Carroll defense.
 
"Jake is farm strong and tough," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "He plays hard does a lot of things that get people open and he is a great post defender. Outside of basketball he also super high quality person made a great contribution to the program in his time. I think his approach to school and work hard sets a great example something to motivate the other guys."
 
Pulsifer joined the Saints after suffering a knee injury at junior college. The injury has held him back as a player but his impact is still felt by his teammates.
 
"Jon has a really mature attitude," Cunningham said. "He works hard in practice and he is very vocal and very competitive. He has a way of being someone with a strong voice because he is an experienced guy he has been through surgeries on his knees. He is a fantastic student and teammate."

The Saints are ranked for the first time since 2011 and have locked up a bye into the semifinals of the Frontier Conference playoffs. This fact is not lost on Cunningham.

"Those guys should feel good about leading Carroll back to a national ranking," Cunningham said. "But outside of that I think they will draw on experience in college athletics and come ready to work, not only in school but in life."

The Saints host Rocky Mountain Saturday at the PE Center. Carroll won both previous meetings this season and will look to make it a sweep. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.