Senior guard Lexi Smith is a leader for the Free State girls basketball team.

Lexi Smith was there, back in 2006, when the Free State High girls basketball program made its memorable run to a third-place finish at the Class 6A state tournament.

Kind of.

Smith, a sophomore at the time, played on the Firebirds’ junior varsity team that season and was lucky enough — or unlucky enough, depending on how you look at it — to practice against the varsity girls day in and day out.

That team was known for its strong guard play, and seniors Jenna Brantley and Lauren Kimball were two of the best the city ever had seen. Although Brantley and Kimball ran circles around her back then, Smith always kept her head on straight and tried to soak up everything those two brought to the floor.

“I learned a ton from them,” Smith said. “They worked hard to get where they got, and the JV always got to play defense against them in practice. Just playing against them like that made me better, but I tried to learn from everything they did.”

As an understudy of sorts, Smith said she learned as much about leadership and being a good teammate as she did about crossover dribbles and how to finish in transition. Each lesson was filed away in her mental lockbox, and this season Smith has busted out the key.

Now a starter on a Free State team deemed by many to have big-time potential, Smith puts that hard-earned basketball education to use each day.

“Lexi is one of those kids who’s a program player,” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said. “She’s paid her dues and has been with us since her sophomore year. She’s sat on the bench and cheered very loudly for her teammates and never complained about anything.”

Perhaps her biggest strength is understanding her limitations. She’s not the fastest, tallest, or most skilled player on the Firebirds roster. Nor is she the most athletic player on her team. She may be the smartest.

“Lexi’s a good decision-maker,” Duncan said. “She knows the game.”

That likely stems from an education of a different kind: the one that came from growing up with a basketball coach for a father.

“I’ve known this game since I was little,” Smith said. “I’ve been around it 24-7.”

Smith first set foot on the hardwood in third grade, when she played with her friends on a team called the Flames. Instantly, she felt at home. As the years went by, Smith began to shape her game. She always preferred the outside shot, became a better passer each year and found other ways to make a difference through things like hustle and heart.

“It’s the little things that matter most,” she says.

Saturday, when Smith’s Firebirds play host to cross-town rival Lawrence High, those little things likely will go a long way in determining the outcome. For Smith, this year’s game will be even more exciting, as it will mark her varsity debut in the intracity rivalry. She’s played against LHS before, both in JV basketball games and as a starting third baseman for the varsity softball program. But playing — and starting — in the big game in the sport she loves figures to create memories Smith won’t soon forget.

“Everyone plays their best during that game because of what it means to the city,” she said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

Smith’s teammates, most of whom are younger, have looked to her for leadership and guidance the way she once turned to Brantley and Kimball when they donned the green and white. Smith likes that. Her teammates like it more.

“She cheers us on all the time,” junior Ashli Hill said. “And she picks up the whole team whenever we’re down. She’s always got something positive to say, and she works so hard to make a good impact when she’s on the court.”