UNION MILLS - Defense. Since third-year LaVille coach Nicholas Amor arrived in 2022-23, the Lancer defense has been a calling card. Over the past 25 years, LHS had some good defenses. The best was during the 2017-18 season that allowed 37 points per game. But since the Amor-era started, the LaVille defense has been, well, stingy. Over the last two seasons, the Lancers have allowed 36.6 ppg and 32.7 ppg, respectively. At South Central Saturday, the LaVille offense started pretty well, but cooled down as the game progressed.  It was the defense that stepped up, especially in the final minutes of the game. Amor's club showed that same hard-nosed, man-to-man defense from the last couple of years that helped LaVille to a 34-32 victory at South Central. "We didn't have our best offensive game and yet because of our defensive effort we were able to come out on top," Amor said after watching his club win its season-opener. "This group of girls is a special one and I look forward to the rest of the season." Trailing 26-25 to start the fourth quarter, the Lancers sophomore guard Denni Markin scored a couple of buckets, including an offensive putback with 6:45 left in the final quarter, to put LHS on top, 29-26. South Central's Makenna Welsh knocked down a big 3-pointer to tie the game at 29-29. Senior forward Brooke Edison then got one of her game-high seven steals and took the ball to the rack to give LaVille a 31-29 lead. As the drama unfolded in the final minutes of the game, Samantha Marks worked her way down the middle of the lane to tie the game at 31-all. After exchanging shots and possessions, Edison received an inbound pass from junior Ava Weil and was fouled going to the basket. Edison knocked the first free throw down, then was long on the second.  The ball was batted around before Markin scooped up the ball, took a dribble, used a head-fake and dropped in a bunny to put the Lancers ahead, 34-31. South Central did make one of two free throws to close the gap to 34-32 with a little over a minute left, but the Lancer defense held tough and forced a contested, off-balance 18-footer that missed with right. "I thought we played really well defensively and got in a groove offensively early on," explained Amor.  "That offensive groove went away with key players getting into foul trouble. Our defensive effort was at a high-level. We played really good team defense and frustrated a solid, South Central team." With a couple starters getting into foul trouble, Amor went to his bench to provide good minutes. LaVille is still without a couple key returnees due to injury so the bench is young. "Madi Singleton, Cloie Davis and Lexi Hough all gave us good minutes, and I'm proud of the way that they stepped up," said Amor.  "It's not easy to jump into a varsity game that is at the intensity level. Especially for a freshman like Hough, who has never seen varsity competition before. But she stepped up to the plate and held her own defensively." Markin and Foster led the Lancer offense with 10 points each. Markin also added nine rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Foster chipped in with seven rebounds and was 4-of-7 from the field in the second half before fouling out with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. Edison filled her scoring line out with a game-high seven steals and four rebounds. LaVille starts 1-0 overall and will jump right into Indiana Northern State Conference action on Friday, November 15, against Tippecanoe Valley starting at 6pm.  The Lancers will play its first doubleheader of the season when Mishawaka Marian visits Dale E. Cox Gymnasium for a Saturday matinee. The JV is set to tip at 11am, with the varsity to follow. LAVILLE 34, SOUTH CENTRAL (UM) 32 At Union Mills  Score By Quarters LaVille 9 15 25 34 SoCentral 8 17 26 32 LaVille - Madi Singleton 0, Mckenna Deason 2, Ava Weil 3, Brooke Edison 9, Cloie Davis 0, Denni Markin 10, Jasmine Foster 10, Lexi Huff 0. Totals: 16 2-11 34 South Central - Samantha Marks 13, Makenna Welsh 4, Gwen Mendenhall 3, Lexi Johnson 8, Katelynn Duttlinger 0, Ashlen Strauch 4. Totals: 11 7-23 32 3-point field goals: LaVille 0, South Central 3 (Marks, Welsh, Mendenhall) Team records: LaVille 1-0, South Central 0-1 Next games: South Central at North Judson, Nov. 12; Tippecanoe Valley at LaVille Nov. 15, 6pm. JV score: South Central (UM) 26 (Lola Yeaney 6, Carman Garner 5, Ella Petrone 5), LaVille 16 (Lexi Huff 8, Cloie Davis 4)