At 6-foot-4, Milford High’s Kayden Kelley won’t cause many immediate double takes from the courtside seats. He’s tall and lanky but, from a basketball perspective, it’s at first hard to believe he dominates the glass the way he does.

But then he hops into the paint and, all of a sudden, it all makes sense.

Like a dog chasing a thrown object, Kelley springs into action the second the ball leaves a shooter’s hand. Regardless of an opponent’s height, Kelley more often than not boxes the player out, and once the ball hits the rim, uses all 76 inches of his height to grab the rebound.

His ability to do so has become a cornerstone of Milford’s success. As the squad sits within striking distance of a top spot in the Hockomock Conference’s Davenport Division, a big reason is its ability to constantly win the battle on the glass.

“His numbers put us in a position to win every single night,’’ said Milford coach Paul Seaver. “If he’s not the rebounder he is, I don’t know if we have a winning record, so to speak. That’s how important he is to our team.

“Rebounding is an energy thing. It’s an energy skill. He has a nose for the ball and if he wants it, he gets it. He uses his 6-4 frame and athleticism to his advantage. Smarts and positioning matter as well, and he’s always in the right spot. It’s not rocket science why he always pulls down so many [rebounds].’’

The numbers speak for themselves. Pulling down double-doubles nearly every game, the junior averages 15.8 rebounds per game while the team averages 31.6. Among other notable performances, the 16-year-old grabbed 21 boards in a 23-point rout of Tantasqua in late December.

So where does the success stem from? For Kelley, it’s mental.

“I think it’s a little bit of a desire thing,’’ said Kelley. “Because you get that ball off the rim and — of course you’ve got to box out — but if you want it more than the other guys, you’re going to get it most of the time.’’

Having a reliable rebounder on both ends of the court has its obvious benefits, but there are some intangibles that go with it as well.

Milford is not the tallest team around, but being able to count on Kelley to clean the glass and use the smaller guys in transition has helped establish the Hawks as a competitive fast-break team.

For Zack Tamagni, Milford’s senior captain and the second-leading scorer in the Hockomock, the offense has been built around Kelley on defense.

“Having Kayden under [the hoop] allows some of our smaller guys to get out and run,’’ said Tamagni. “It’s really been a focal point of our offense. Coach always tells us to get out and run, and that really starts with Kayden under the glass.’’

Kelley hasn’t changed the way he plays much since he started playing at the age of 7.

“When I was younger,’’ said Kelley, “I was pretty much the biggest guy on the court, so I was always down low.’’

With such experience down low comes a stout mental fortitude.

There are few quicker routes to a loss than getting manhandled on the boards. And for a player like Kelley,, he’s never in a position to have an off game. So having a sharp mentality is almost as big as the physical ability itself.

Being able to dominate on the defensive end of the glass helps put a chip on the opponent’s shoulder and establish a little bit of dominance on the offensive end.

“It’s one of the biggest things,’’ Kelley said of the mental aspect. “Because if you assert yourself over him throughout the game, then even on the offensive side he’s going to be sagging off of you because he knows how dominant you can be. So it plays on both sides of the court.’’

Kelley is not the only player cleaning the glass in these parts. Sophomore James Gascoigne and junior Ben Wasco dominate the post for Arlington. In Natick, junior Will Brodnitzki has been reliable there. And the list goes on. Teams with surefire rebounders most often find themselves in good position to win games.

Said Seaver, the Milford coach: “If you take [a solid rebounder] out, we lose the rebounding battle in the game, and more likely than not we’re going to lose that basketball game.’’

A great deal, then, can ride on a key rebounder’s shoulders. Kelley, though, seems to take it all in stride, and has found support in his teammates to make the ball-hawking worth it.

“It is a big pressure,’’ he said. “But I know I can do it, my teammates trust me to do it so that helps me to get the job done.’’

Logan Mullen can be reached at logan.mullen@globe.com.