GETTYSBURG – They are completely opposite players who have the same common goal, and when they combine forces opponents seldom have a solution.

Cooper Logan and Grant Luikens are senior members of the Potter County basketball team and a big reason why the Battlers are 13-1 on the season and fifth rated in the Class B poll.

Both have scored at least 30 points in a game this season, yet each impacts a game in much different ways.

“Each brings strengths,” said Potter County coach Bryce Hall.

Logan is a football player at heart and is known for his physical style of play. He bulked up for his senior year and has transformed into more of an interior player.

“That’s kind of changed his game. He’s kind of become a small big for us inside,” Hall said.

Luikens is a deadly outside shooter who can drive to the basket.

“Grant has always been kind of the long, lanky one,” Hall said. “He has the ability to the get to the rim.”

In short, the dynamic duo have skill sets that complement each other and causes major issues for opposing defenses.

“I think that’s why it works so well,” Logan said. “Teams have to worry about two completely different kind of styles of play.”

The two players used to be neighbors and have grown up on the same football field and basketball court. They have been teammates for nearly a decade.

“I would say we know each other’s games very well,” Luikens said “We kind of know what each other likes to do, what our habits are. It allows us to work together very well, because we are seeing what each other sees.”

There’s little question what Logan likes to do. What he lacks in size (he stands 6-foot-1) he makes up for in strength. It allows him to hold his own in the lane and create scoring opportunities for himself and for others.

“Most of the time the kids that are four or five inches taller, I feel that I’m stronger than,” Logan said, “so I have that advantage on them.”

Luikens said the two share a chemistry where each instinctively knows how the other will respond during certain situations. It comes from hours spent playing the game together.

“I think we just now how to find each other when the time is right. I know I slash and shoot. He knows how to find me,” Luikens said. “He likes to bang down in the paint. I can get him the ball and just let him go to work. I can sit on the perimeter and wait for a dish or let him go up with it.”

Regardless of the option, foes are finding out that stopping either one of them is a challenge and containing both at the same time is unrealistic.

While both Logan and Luikens are efficient scorers, they bring much more to the court, according to Hall.

“They’re our front line. We’re leaning on them quite a bit,” Hall said. “We’re expecting a lot from them, not only production offensively, but also their leadership.”

Logan and Luikens were key members of Potter County’s Class 9B state runner-up team in football last fall. Logan led all of 9B in tackles this past season; Luikens was named MVP of the championship game. The two enjoy both football and basketball, Logan leaning more towards the gridiron and Luikens more towards the hardwood.

Logan is heading to Northern State to play football next year. His dad Mark played basketball for the Wolves back in the day.

“He pushes me to be the best I can,” Logan said of his dad. “I’ve learned a lot from him, especially at a young age. I may not always like what he has to say, but I hear him out for the most part.”

Work ethic is not an issue for Logan and Luikens.

When you play basketball for the Battlers, it means all out effort all the time. The squad is known for its pressure defense from tip-off to final buzzer no matter what the score or who the opponent.

It’s something that takes a ton of energy, but the players take pride in their effort.

“I would say it’s very demanding,” Luikens said, “but I don’t think there’s any other team in the state that goes 32 minutes as hard as we do. I don’t think there’s a team that can do what we do.”

While Logan and Luikens are opposites in style, they share a common trait that helps to set the tone for a team that never backs down from a challenge.

“They compete. That’s one thing about them,” Hall said. “I know they don’t like to lose. They go out and they put it on.”