FULTON, IN. - A hot hand in shooting the basketball early, a second half offensive surge, and balanced scoring ultimately played a key role for the LaVille basketball team. Lancer guards Lucas Plummer, Collin Czarnecki, and Owen Smith combined for 45 points to lead LHS to a 57-46 victory over Caston in high school basketball. Plummer got LaVille off to a quick start, connecting for a pair of 3-pointers in a 46-second span as the Lancers got off to an 8-0 start. Smith added a pair of his own long-distance bombs as LaVille opened a 11-6 lead to close the first quarter. "I thought we were ready to go mentally," said LaVille coach Michael Edison. "Lucas Plummer and Owen Smith had good starts for us. After we took an 8 to 0 lead we didn't put the pedal to the metal so to speak. We missed some opportunities and allowed them to get right back into it." Caston, who also recognized its seniors prior to the game, rallied to make things interesting in the middle quarters. But Plummer, Smith, Czarnecki and Michael Good converted shots during the middle quarters to extend the lead. "We figured it was going to be a battle as Caston has played well against many teams similar to us," Edison said when asked about the halftime message and his teams 23-22 lead. "We stressed the importance of not allowing Schaunlaub to get the ball so low on the post. I also wanted a lot of ball pressure and felt that we could get Collin Czarnecki going in the second half." The Comets kept things close in the third quarter when Cain Schanlaub hit a bucket to make it 35-33 with 2:25 remaining the third period. LaVille, however, went on a 13-2 run to close the third quarter and start the fourth stanza to take a 48-35 lead. "It was huge!" Edison said of the Lancer scoring surge. "That was a game that was teetering and could've gone either way. It was nice for our guys to find a way to get over the hump and then to hold that lead for the game. Collin Allen had a really nice finish on a layup and Lucas had some nice finishes as well." Allen got the scoring started as he hustled down the floor on a transition opportunity hit a shot in the lane and had the chance for an and-1. Czarnecki converted a pair of field goals, Plummer two baskets, and Good finished the offensive surge by hitting a pair of free throws in a span of 3:47. Edison's club was able to close out the game by hitting 7-of-10 free throws over the final three minutes of the game. "We were really able to just slowly stretch the game out and then defensively force them to take poor shots," said Edison. "We had guys crashing the boards and getting big rebounds for us. It was a great team effort. Lucas Plummer shooting so well and playing with a tremendous amount of confidence was a big lift for us." Plummer dropped in a game-high 18 points, including four treys and four rebounds. Czarnecki added 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of triples. Smith had 10 points, seven boards and four assists. Good chipped in with eight points and Lancer rebounding effort with 11 carroms. Ryan James also contributed six rebounds. "Anytime we can get three or four guys either in double figures or close to double figures then it makes us a tougher team to stop," concluded Edison. "With Owen, Michael, Collin, and Lucas getting us some much-needed points we were able to have a much better chance at winning." LaVille improved to 13-9 overall and has won 9 of its last 11 games. The Lancers close the regular season at home on February 24 against Lighthouse CPC of Gary. The junior varsity game is scheduled to tip at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the varsity game to follow. Lighthouse CPC is the 2022 3A Hanover Central Sectional champions. LAVILLE 57, CASTON 46 At Fulton LaVille – 11 23 44 57 Caston – 6 22 33 46 LaVille – Lucas Plummer 18, Ryan James 0, Owen Smith 10, Ross Wagoner 2, Collin Allen 2, Collin Czarnecki 17, Michael Good 8. Totals: 19 11-21 57 Caston – Rowan Jellison 2, Talon Zeider 9, Cain Schanlaub 17, Brady Evans 0, Caleb Stinson 10, Colby Pugh 8, Evan Howard 0, Corbin Smith 0, Grant Yadon 0, Jackson Renschler 0, Gavin Mollenkopf 0, Josh Evans 0, Carter Clingler 0. Totals: 16 7-11 46 3-point field goals: LaVille 8 (Plummer 4, Czarnecki 2, Smith 2), Caston 7 (Zeider 3, Stinson 2, Pugh 2) Total fouls (fouled out): LaVille 12 (none), Caston 18 (none)