Freshman forward Zane Schneider has joined a pretty good shortlist of players for Lemont.

In recent program history, Iowa State-bound superstar Nojus Indrusaitis and twin standouts Matas and Rokas Castillo have cracked the varsity roster as freshmen.

Now, the 6-foot-4 Schneider is beginning to emerge.

“We saw him as an eighth grader last year and we liked him a lot,” Lemont coach Rick Runaas said. “We told him we would give him a shot in the summer. Instantly, you can tell he had a good feel for the game and understood how to play and play hard.

“We knew he had the physical presence to be able to play at the varsity level.”

With Alanas Castillo on the bench with an injury, Schneider took advantage of starting Tuesday night and played quality minutes in Lemont’s wild 73-70 nonconference victory in overtime over host Sandburg in Orland Park.

Schneider finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Lemont (3-2). Klaidas Paskauskas scored a team-high 17 points, while Shea Glotzbach had 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.

David Vargas scored a game-high 23 points for Sandburg (3-2). Ryan Tomczak added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Yanal Swaiss contributed 15 points.

While Schneider is already making a difference for Lemont on the basketball court, he’s also getting plenty of attention for his baseball skills.

A right-handed pitcher and infielder, Schneider has played in a showcase hosted by Illinois and was given a tour of Notre Dame’s baseball facility by Fighting Irish officials.

“My primary sport is probably baseball,” Schneider said. “But I like basketball as much as baseball. I haven’t emphasized basketball that much. I’ve been focused on baseball.”

Schneider has played AAU basketball, so he’s by no means a rookie at taking the ball to the basket. He said playing two travel sports is tough but it’s something he loves to do.

His teammates have welcomed him with open arms.

“He brings a lot of flair,” Paskauskas said. “He’s a great teammate, and honestly every time he gets the ball, he gets in the lane so easily and either kicks it out to teammates or finishes.”

Schneider did miss a few free throws down the stretch, but with 5.5 seconds left in regulation, he intentionally hit the front of the rim.

Paskauskas picked up the rebound and missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but Simas Dyglys was there for the put-back at the buzzer to send the game to OT.

“I didn’t know it was coming,” Paskauskas said of then intentional miss. “I thought we were going to press them and try to get a steal, but when he shot it, it was perfect.

“It went straight to me, and I missed the shot. Simas got the rebound and made the layup.”

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Both of Sandburg’s losses have been in OT. The Eagles opened the season with a 67-64 double-overtime loss to Crete-Monee in the opening round of the Ram-Spartan Classic.

The Eagles trailed 37-24 against Lemont with 5:08 left in the third quarter when Tomczak drilled four 3-pointers to help the Eagles claw back and force a 45-45 tie entering the fourth. Vargas then went to work with 11 points.

Lemont, however, prevailed in OT. Even though the program won 27 games and a sectional championship two seasons ago and 28 games and a regional title last season, there are five new starters on the court.

Paskauskas and Ryan Runaas are the lone seniors, and there are 10 juniors plus Schneider all looking to find their roles.

Schneider said he appreciates the leadership Paskauskas has shown.

“He’s a real leader,” Schneider said. “If you are slacking off, he will tell you to get your head back in the game.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.