Schoffstall is a force in Fremd's win over Schaumburg
The force certainly seemed to be with Fremd guard Luke Schoffstall on this night.
The 6-foot junior trusted his shooting instincts, and they didn't let him down as Schoffstall scored a game-high 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the floor in Fremd's 60-39 victory over host Schaumburg in Mid-Suburban West play on Thursday.
Included in Schoffstall's effort was a 4-for-5 effort from 3-point range.
The win keeps Fremd (14-4, 4-1) a half-game behind Conant in the Mid-Suburban West.
Schoffstall's scoring flight began late in the first-half when the Saxons drew to within 17-15 after Kameron Powell's second straight inside hoop with 2:25 remaining.
Schoffstall hit the first of his four 3-pointers with 45 seconds left followed by a driving layup in the closing seconds to give the Vikings a 22-15 lead at intermission.
His second 3, just 22 seconds into the second half, accelerated a 17-2 run that had Fremd ahead 34-17. Schoffstall swished his third straight 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark of the third.
Schoffstall closed out the Vikes' third-quarter by scoring his team's last 8 points, including a driving reverse layup with 45 seconds left.
That gave him 16 points in the period and put Fremd ahead 46-27.
"He really gave us a spark earlier in the second quarter when he was able to penetrate inside on the offensive side as well as his hustle on the defensive end before he got going scoring-wise," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "Then he had that 10-minute tear late in the second as well as the third. Overall he did a nice job."
When asked about his game, Schoffstall chose to give praise to Widlowski and his teammates - including 6-5 Patrick Benka, who followed him in the scoring column with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
"Our senior leadership makes it possible for us to flourish," Schoffstall said. " They help you to keep in mind of what's important in terms of the big picture.
"Coach keeps telling us that you need to remain focused on what's in front of you each week. Also, that how you can't think about going any further than that."
Schoffstall said his teammates allowed him to put up the big scoring numbers.
"They were really the ones who got me the ball in open situations that allowed me to get going," he said. "I was feeling good about my shot and it's all a result of team effort."
Schaumburg coach Wade Heisler cited poor decision-making that hurt his team's effort. Powell led the Saxons (4-12, 2-3) with 14 points.
"They amped up the pressure on us and we made some bad choices," Heisler said. "Hats off to them."
Widlowski's squad returns home to face Evanston Saturday night in nonconference play.
His team's focus has been one of its strengths.
"We're doing a good job concentrating on the next game that's in front of us," Widlowski said. "And in a lot of ways its due to our senior leadership."