LAKEVILLE - LaVille proved exactly why coaches talk about throwing records and rankings out during the week of the Everwise Bi-County basketball tournament. On paper, the Lancers were not favored to win during Friday's semifinal against Bremen.  Then Saturday were undergods to the 1A #5 Triton Trojans. Instead, coach Michael Edison's club rallied from a double-figure deficit to defeat the Lions in overtime, 58-48, Friday night in the semifinals. Saturday, LHS was faced Triton for the tourney title and pulled off a thrilling 39-37 victory as senior guard Collin Czarnecki hit a short jumper in the lane at Dale E. Cox Gymnasium. “He’s who I like having the ball,” said Edison of Czarnecki, who finished with 17 points. “… I don’t know if it’s good coaching, but you might as well put it in your best player’s hands and let him do what he can do.” Overall two iconic wins that fit perfectly for this mostly small school tournament that prides itself on a long, rich history.  A dramatic comeback in the semifinals, followed by a game-winning shot in the final seconds in the championship is sure to be the topic of discussion for many years to come. "The Friday night game was so important because although the hype around the game might not be the same as the championship, it had to be won for us to have an opportunity to win it all," explained Czarnecki about the comeback victory.  "We were down by quite a bit with not much time left but it was our effort and big shot-making that allowed us to win. Triton did have one final shot, but Gage Riffle's shot was on-line, but short as the buzzer sounded and the Lancer celebration started. After Saturday's second championship victory in three years, Edison talked about how important Friday's win was for his crew. “Our guys really needed that (Friday),” said Edison, who watched his team make a 34-15 run in the 7-plus minute rally to push the Lancers into the finals. “I’ve been a part of a lot in my career where I see those types of things. Our guys needed that so they could really believe we could do it.” Saturday's finale was a game that was nip and tuck the entire evening, with the Trojans knotting things up at 37-all on a layup from Tanner Witt-Hoyo. Edison's club got the ball back with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. The Lancer skipper elected to work the clock down without a timeout, trusting his senior go-to guy to find the winning shot. Czarnecki dribbled the clock down before splitting defenders and delivering what would be the game-winning shot amongst a triple team. Czarnecki was selected the 2025 Earl Mishler MVP, sponsored by The Pilot News. It was his second in three years. “We could have been home in a hot tub or watching from the stands (Saturday night); probably should have been,” added LaVille head coach Michael Edison. “But our motto was ‘Find a way.’ (Triton) may be more talented than us, with their guard play and the shooters they have, but we’re going to find a way. (Winning the championship game) is a little surreal.”  When asked about how important the Everwise victory is to LaVille basketball and the Lancer Community,   Czarnecki said. “Honestly, I think it’s bigger than the sectional for us because it's all local teams. Every rivalry we have is in this tournament, so it’s the one everyone looks forward to every year. It’s a packed crowd.” The Everwise finale was the conclusion of 20 games in four days due to the frigid weather early in the week forced Tuesday postponements. A very busy busy week for all the schools and in front of another huge championship night crowd that was physical, defense-dominated, and low-scoring. “On my play sheet, there are no plays that say give it to Collin and clear out, but that’s what I said a couple of times,” explained Edison. “He’s who I like having the ball. You might as well put it in your best player’s hands and let him do what he can do.” Since Edison did not use a timeout prior to LaVille's last possession, Czarnecki explained what his coach communicated. "The final seconds of the game were just crazy," Czarnecki said.  "There was so much on the line at that moment.  I was super happy that I was given the opportunity to win it for our team and I thank my coaches a lot for trusting in me.  My teammates gave me a lot of space to work with and when I split the defenders with my spin move I knew I had it.  It was pure happiness seeing the ball go through the hoop and hearing the crowd erupt. We got an opportunity and that’s all you can ask for." Following Czarnecki's bucket, Triton called a timeout and the officials put 2.7 seconds back on the clock.  The Trojans looked at what LaVille had set up defensively, then called a second timeout to set their final play. “They got a decent look for 2.7 seconds, closer than I wanted,” Edison admitted after watching Gage Riffle launch a 22 footer toward the basket. “The game had a slower feel to it. It didn’t have a ton of pace. If we play another three minutes, maybe they beat us by four. We just happened to be up at the end. We dug in on defense. They missed a couple shots that they usually hit. Collin had the ball knocked away from him (on the game-winning shot), but they could have easily called traveling on him on that play.” Czarnecki led all scorers with 17 points and led LHS with six rebounds. Lance Edison added eight points and tied Braedyn Foster with five boards each. Foster led the team with five assists.  Dante Workman led Triton with 12 points, while Witt-Hoyo bounced back after banging his head in the second quarter, came back for 10 points.   LAVILLE 39, TRITON 37 Everwise Bi-County championship At Lakeville Score by quarters LaVille 9 14 25 39 Triton  5 17 25 37 LaVille - Andre Gonzales 7, Lance Edison 8, Cody Allen 0, Travis Madondo 3, Collin Czarnecki 17, Ryan Maenhout 0, Braedyn Foster 2, Jackson McNerney 0, Avery Garrett 2. TOTALS: 15 5-6 39. Triton: Landon Patrick 0, Dante Workman 12, Julian Swanson 2, Jayden Overmyer 0, Caden Large 2, Gage Riffle 8, Brady Wood 3, Tanner Witt-Hoyo 10. TOTALS: 14 5-7 37. 3-point field goals: Triton 4 (Riffle 2, Workman, Wood), LaVille 4 (Czarnecki 2, Gonzales, Madondo).  Team records: Triton 11-2, LaVille 10-5