Dalton Schmelzle

After falling to Maur Hill-Mount Academy in the sub-state championship a year ago, the Nemaha Central boys’ basketball team wanted to get off to a good start to the 2018-19 season to try to forget about the loss and prove they belong in the conversation as one of the best once again.

So far the Thunder have done just that with three solid victories to begin the year, and a big piece to that has been the play of senior Dalton Schmelzle.

Schmelzle was outstanding for the Thunder last week, as on Tuesday night he poured in 31 points in Nemaha’s 79-55 win at St. Mary’s.

He followed that up with another solid outing Friday night, as he dropped 16 points in a 69-53 win on the road at Royal Valley.

On the season he is averaging just under 20 points a night, while also pulling down around seven rebounds per contest as well.

Last season Schmelzle averaged nine points and five rebounds per contest and really became a force down the final stretch of the season.

Schmelzle and the Thunder will look to continue their success this week, hosting Hiawatha Tuesday night before hosting Perry Lecompton on Friday.