LIGONIER - A good start, bench support, and balanced scoring helped LaVille down West Noble, 53-48, in a rare matinee high school game in Ligonier. Coach Michael Edison's club had all five starters score at least one bucket, including three 3-point field goals to take a 17-6 lead after eight minutes. Coaches sometimes aren't sure what kind of start their team will get on road games, then add in the fact that it was an early afternoon start.  Not something LaVille is used to. "It is something different, but I kind of like playing an afternoon game at least once during the season," Edison said when asked about the non-traditional start time. "I would be interested in playing 2-3 more of them throughout the season." The LHS lead jumped to 21-8 when Ryan Maenhout finished off a tear-drop basket down the middle of the lane early in the second quarter. The Chargers, however, outscored the Lakeville guests 15-10 as the Lancers took a 31-23 lead into the intermission. West Noble narrowed the lead to 31-30 before Maenhout stole the ball under the Charger basket, went coast to coast and laid the ball in for a 33-30 LaVille lead. The third period ended in a 38-38 tie and back to square one for the fourth quarter. LaVille started the final stanza on a 9-0 burst, which ended up being a crucial story in the game as the Chargers were going to make a final run. Brody Mast hit a triple from the left corner to trim the Lancer lead to 49-43.  Mast looked to strike again from the right wing, but as the freshman went to launch his shot, LaVille's Braedyn leaped with his outstretched arm to swat the ball out of bounds.  That shot block was also a big moment in the game and gave an extra boost to Edison's crew to help close out the game. "We actually got off to a good start and even though we had a point in the game where we struggled defensively a little bit and allowed them to get back into it, we really held strong and found a way to win a very tight game," explained the Lancer coach. "I was also impressed with a few of our non-starters who came in and gave us some positive minutes when we had Andre and Braedyn in foul trouble." Lance Edison, Braedyn Foster, Laim Amor, and Maenhout led a balanced scoring attack for LHS.  Edison led all scorers with 19 points, Foster had 10, and the duo of Amor and Maenhout chipped in with eight points each. "When any team has a balanced attack it is a lot tougher to stop them," said Coach Edison. "We have not had too many games where our scoring has been balanced and it was really nice to have in the West Noble game.  We played one of our better games offensively and we needed it as West Noble had a very solid team.  I realize their record is not spectacular, but they also played a lot of 3A and 4A teams and took many of them down to the wire.  It was a very nice win for the Lancers." The non-conference game was another in a line battle between the two schools.  Since the series started most recently in 2015-16, there have been two one-point games, two two-point contests, and now a five-point difference.  "Yes, we have had some battles against West Noble," said Edison when asked about the recent 10-year series.  "A person can usually surmise that the game is going to be a close one.  It is always a battle when we play them.  Ethan Marsh does a really nice job with his players and always gets them to play extremely hard." Edison led the rebounding effort with seven, while Foster added five. Andre Gonzales and Foster added four assists each, while Gonzales and Edison were the top snipers, with three apiece. LaVille improves to 12-7 overall and will finish up the Indiana Northern State Conference February13 against Tippecanoe Valley.  The junior varsity game is scheduled for a 6pm tip, with the varsity to follow. LaVille 53 West Noble 48 At Ligonier Score By Quarters LaVille 17 14 7 15 - 53 WN 6 17 15 10 - 48 LaVille - Caleb Skiles 3, Jonny Yoder 0, Andre Gonzales 5, Lance Edison 19, Aaron Keb 0, Liam Amor 8, Ryan Maenhout 8, Braedyn Foster 10. Totals: 19 10-14 53 West Noble - Nolan Kelly 5, Cameron Eash 4, Aiden Replogle 12, Ryan Glick 1, Trevor Martin 2, Trey Shisler 0, Trevor Steele 16, Brody Mast 3, Caleb Saggars 3, Ky'Mine Barnes-Bridges 2, Blake Jones 0. Totals: 17 8-16 48 3-point field goals: LaVille 5 (Edison 2, Amor, Gonzales, Skiles), West Noble 3 (Replogle 2, Mast) Totals fouls (fouled out): LaVille 17 (Foster), West Noble 21 (Replogle, Steele) Team records: LaVille 12-7, West Noble 5-12 Next game: Tippecanoe Valley at LaVille Feb 13, 6pm JV score: West Noble 41 (Carson Saggars 12, Payton Smith 11) LaVille 31 (Jonny Yoder 13, Ethan Burghduf 11)