NOVI >> Northville and Novi were playing for the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West division title Monday night and senior guard Aaron Lauer set the tempo by knocking down three 3-pointers in the opening quarter to lead Novi to a 49-47 victory over its top rival.

Novi (17-4) led the entire way despite Northville (15-6) pulling within 32-31 early in the third before Lauer made his fourth 3.

Novi’s outstanding guards — Lauer and Brandon Lynch — did a great job of taking care of the ball during the final 1 minute, 20 seconds with Northville having fouls to give.

Novi’s Colin Edwards split a pair of free throws with 11.7 seconds left for the 49-47 lead, leaving Northville with an opportunity to send the game into overtime or pull out the game with a 3.

Instead, Novi played strong interior defense, and Northville missed an inside shot, then the putback as time expired.

“We wanted to come out and play hard defense, run in transition and execute,” said Lauer, who finished with 17 points, including five 3s.

“It comes from the hard work I put in putting my shots up in the gym and that enabled me to come out here and knock them down.”

Novi coach Chris Housey has high praise for Lauer, saying: “I love that kid so much. He’s such a special player. He came up as a sophomore and that’s what he did, he’s a shooter. Over the last couple of years he’s expanded his game, started taking the ball to the rim. He’s a great leader.”

The teams met Jan. 24 with Novi (16-4) earning a 61-53 win with both entering the championship game with 11-2 division records.

With the win, Novi will be playing East division champion Wayne — 18-2 and ranked No. 7 in The News Super 25 poll — Friday at Northville.

“They’re a great team,” said Lauer of Wayne which showcases its junior backcourt combination of Carlos Medlock and Jaylohn Allen. “We’re definitely excited for the challenge and we will be ready.”

Brody Grezak, a 6-foot-7 junior, scored a game-high 18 for Northville in the opener between the teams, including 10 points in the opening quarter.

Grezak was limited to five points in the opening half, allowing Novi to take a 28-21 lead. He finished with nine points in the rematch.

Novi made three more 3s in the third quarter to open up a 43-35 cushion with Colin Edwards and Michael Schave connecting for deep range shots after Northville pulled within 37-35.

Nate-Isiah Imbuzeiro had 12 points and Marcus Hudson scored 10 for Northville.

Novi had a balanced scoring attack with Schave and Lynch each scoring seven and Edwards, five.