LAKEVILLE - It's a basketball night in Lakeville! LaVille returns to the court on Tuesday, January 7 for a non-conference game against rival Triton. The Trojans come to town with a 6-1 overall record and the Associated Press Class 1A #18 ranking.   Triton is coming off a 61-38 victory over Winamac on December 20. Coach Jason Groves' team averages 48.4 points per game and has a 4-0 record when scoring at least 48 points so far this season. On defense, Triton allows 36.7 per outing, which places them 5th in the state regardless of class and 2nd in Class 1A.  THS is 3-0 when allowing 36 points or less through seven games. "It is very rare to play against a team that has five returning starters from the year before," said LaVille coach Michael Edison.  "They handled us last year and they have everybody back and they are playing very well!  Every single one of their players can pass and catch extremely well. They have really good three-point shooters and they make good decisions on the offensive end. They are not overly big, but they are very scrappy and play extremely hard. It will be a very tough game for us." Leading the way for Triton will be seniors Dante Workman and Tanner Witt-Hoyo, along with juniors Landon Patrick, Julian Swanson and Gage Riffle. "Every single one of them!" Edison said when asked which Triton players to keep an eye on. "Patrick is a very smooth guard that makes others around him better. He can handle the ball extremely well and he’s not afraid to shoot the ball when he needs to. Workman is very athletic, handles the ball very well, attacks the basket, and is able to hurt teams in many different ways. Swanson is a very good outside shooter, a good passer, and makes others around him better. Riffle is athletic and a very good shooter from outside. Witt-Hoyo is a solid post player for them.  He is not super tall, but he more than makes up for it with his great footwork, passing ability and finishing touch around the rim.  They have three or four guys that come off the bench that are solid players as well and would probably start for a lot of other area teams. They really don’t have many weaknesses!" Since Edison's arrival in Lakeville during the 2008-09 season, LaVille and Triton have had several games decided by single digits. "I don’t know exactly what makes it such a good rivalry, but it definitely is," said Edison, who faces Triton for the 25th time.  "They always have good teams and they are very well coached as Jason Groves does a great job for them!" Edison expects the Trojans to run their offensive sets extremely well, play outstanding defense, have so many different ways that they can hurt a team, and they play very focused and with a mission the entire game. LHS is 6-3 overall following a 55-17 victory over North Judson on January 4. For the Lancers, Edison says, " We must take care of the ball and get high-quality possessions. Force Triton to take low percentage shots and only give them one opportunity each possession.  Good solid ball pressure without allowing our man to drive right around us and rebound the ball on both ends of the court." Game on ... GAMEDAY Teams: 1A #18 Triton (6-1) at LaVille (6-3) Site: Dale E. Cox Gymnasium, Lakeville, IN. Tip: JV - 6pm | Varsity - 7:30pm Coaches: Jason Groves, 329-146 in 20th year at Triton. Michael Edison, 234-149 in 17th season at LaVille Last Outing: Triton defeated Winamac, 61-38. LaVille defeated North Judson, 55-17 All-Time Series: Triton leads LaVille, 45-29 Last Meeting: Triton defeated LaVille, 59-41, Feb. 9, 2024 Live Stream: JV Stream: https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=1521602 Varsity Stream: https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=1480999