Hopkins senior Noble Fahnbulleh plays like a starter. He wants to be a starter. He's always been a starter.

This season has been a bit different.

"Truthfully, I really don't like that role," Fahnbulleh said about coming off of the bench. "All my life really, out of all the teams that I've played for, I've been a starter and I've played more than I am right now."

But on a talented Royals (22-1) squad that features the likes of senior and Citadel commit Jake Wright and sophomore up-and-comer Amir Coffey, minutes can be hard to come by, so the 6-foot-4 forward has been adjusting his game and making the most of his minutes on the court this season.

Fahnbulleh posted 11 points and played the majority of the game in second-ranked Hopkins' 74-71 victory over No. 3 Osseo (17-6) on Tuesday night.

Besides the double-digit scoring output (Fahnbulleh averages 9.5 per game), the senior snagged rebounds on both ends of the court in a game where the Royals' high-tempo offensive attack was slowed down a bit by the Orioles.

"(Fahnbulleh) boards well, he's a strong player, he can drive to the basket and he actually passes the ball real well," Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. said. "We needed him today because I thought he played harder and tougher than most of the other guys."

Fahnbulleh is one of the 'glue' players on a Hopkins team that has won 17 straight games now since their only loss of the season against top-ranked Apple Valley, and he understands what his role is as the team steamrolls towards March.

"I try to bring the energy up," Fahnbulleh said. "I try to defend, rebound … push it on the break because I like the game to be up-tempo."

Novak Jr. said he needs guys like Fahnbulleh to step up and provide a spark when things aren't going according to plan with the starters.

"We need more guys to do it," Novak Jr. said. "He was the one guy that was doing it tonight and that's why he wasn't coming out much. He was chasing the ball when our other guys were watching."

Perhaps that kind of toughness and hustle will help Fahnbulleh get back to what he knows: starting every game.

But the senior knows that in order for the Royals to stay on top of their game, he has to keep bringing the energy off of the bench.