They say a good defense is the best offense and Flathead senior guard Lance Schneller provides the Braves with a defensive spark each time the team takes the court.

“If you have a guy that is willing to defend, it just brings that competitive edge to everything you do,” third-year Braves coach Dan Trageser said. 

Schneller found his love for the game at a young age. Being the fourth of five children, he watched as his older siblings take to the court before him. 

“My older brothers were just pushing me, I always wanted to beat them because they were bigger or older,” Schneller said. “I was always trying to be more physical than them. When I saw them out on the court, I wanted to be out there.” 

Schneller’s father, Daniel, also was a major influence. 

“He is just a great coach, a great dad,” Lance Schneller said. “He is always trying to push us to the extent that he knows we can get to and I love that about him. It has really helped me to improve.” 

Schneller adds that his upbringing allowed him ta bit more time on the court. 

“Being homeschooled you get a lot more time to focus on sports,” Schneller said. “I just put a lot more time and effort into that, and being homeschooled they only offered basketball, so that is something I just gravitated towards. I just really enjoy the sport; I love watching it. I love playing it.” 

Come sophomore year though, Schneller felt the need for a little more competition on the court. Enter the Flathead Braves. 

“Whenever I am at the gym I like to play against the better competitors. Whenever I am on defense, I like to play against the better offensive player,” Schneller said. “So I think that that competition when I came to Flathead was what I was looking for.” 

“I think when Lance came to us he wanted a little bit more than what the homeschool basketball scene offered and was willing to work hard, was willing to put in the work and I think that has showed going into his senior year.” 

It wasn’t instant success for Schneller on Kalispell’s southside. As a sophomore and junior he played with the Braves JV teams, before making the step up to varsity this season. 

Trageser notes that Schneller has shown heart from the start of his time with Flathead. He won the Brave Mentality award as a sophomore. 

“That award is pretty simple. It’s the player that best embodies the characteristics that we value here in our basketball program,” Trageser said.  

“I wasn’t as great as I could be, but I just kept working,” Schneller said. 

One difference Schneller noted between the homeschool level and AA is the pace the game is played at. 

“My first game, in the first quarter I was like ‘I don’t know if I can play this.’ It was just back and forth,” Schneller said. “The physicality is way more intense, even the crowds, we didn’t get crowds with homeschool, so that has changed a lot.” 

When he did settle in, defense is where Schneller made his mark on this Braves team. He leads the squad in steals with 17 on the season. Pair that with being the second leading scorer on the team and Schneller has turned into a threat for the Braves on both ends of the court. 

“Lance is one of those guys that leads by example. He is always doing the right thing. He is always hyping his guys up in practice,” Trageser said. “I think that hard work has paid off for him this year. He is a guy that we have a really hard time taking off the floor, because he just does so many little things whether they show up in the box score or not.” 

Now Schneller and the Braves prepare for the first Crosstown game of the season at Flathead tonight with the girls slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off and the boys to follow. 

The Braves seniors look for their first win against the Wolfpack and Schneller says what better time than now. 

“We have got a great group of guys this year and we play together,” Schneller said. “It will be good for us to get out there, get a win hopefully and just play our hearts out.” 

Once Schneller finishes high school, he will trade defending home court for defending the flag as he enlists in the US Army. 

“My dad is a Marine, and my grandpa was in the Navy. My cousin in in the Air Force, so it is just a family affair,” Schneller said. 

“I think what Lance has done here is only going to carry with him,” Trageser said. “When he gets into the military I think he is going to have success in whatever avenue of life he goes into and with his work ethic and the way he carries himself he is going to be very successful there.”