Nathan Schimelfenig had a shooter’s confidence to go for an emotional win.
West Scranton had a fourth-quarter comeback fueled by Schimelfenig’s outside shooting. A rally in the final minute included two of his eight 3-pointers, with the final one coming with 10 seconds left that lifted West Scranton to a 59-58 victory over Nanticoke Area to highlight last week’s nonleague boys basketball action.
He finished with a career-high 33 points as the Invaders snapped a four-game losing streak.
“We had some guys in foul trouble, and guys came off the bench and did a great job,” Schimelfenig said. “I felt like I couldn’t miss. My teammates supported me on the court and the bench. That gave me the confidence to shoot it if I was open.
“That was the loudest gym I think I played at. I fed off the energy that circulated through the team. Now we have some momentum heading into this week.”
Schimelfenig’s efforts helped the Invaders win a pair of games in coach Hasiin Dixon’s first season. He received honorable mention in voting by the Lackawanna League Division I coaches for the all-star team as a junior when he averaged 8.1 points and 1.5 3-pointers per game.
This year, he is one of three returning players with starting experience.
In the semifinals of the Jerry Finan Tournament, Schimelfenig scored 17 points and had two 3-pointers, but the Invaders lost to Honesdale. That pushed them into the consolation game, where he scored 20 points with three 3-pointers, which put him on the all-tournament team.
“In the Honesdale game, we didn’t come out like we wanted,” Schimelfenig said. “I felt like in the second game we got into a groove and started to build trust in each other. It was a good win, and it was the first win for our coach.”
After the 1-1 start, West…