North Central nips VC to win state

LAKE CHARLES- The Vermilion Catholic Lady Eagles’ season ended in disappointment with a 54-50 loss to North Central in the Class 1A state championship game Saturday afternoon in the Burton Coliseum.
North Central’s athleticism and defensive pressure proved too much for the flu-ridden Lady Eagles squad as the Lady Canes made amends for losing in the championship game to Central Catholic last season despite North Central head coach Vanessa Taylor’s father passing away late Friday night.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said VC head coach Kim Guidry. “I just wish we were healthy. We showed great heart. All I asked is that they give me everything they had. I can’t ask for anymore.”
Both teams struggled to get nerves out in the early going with both teams trading turnovers and missed buckets. After North Central jumped ahead 5-0, the Lady Eagles responded with a 9-0 run to take a 9-7 lead into the second quarter, despite connecting on only 3-of-16 shots from the field.
With the game tied at 11 with 7:02 left before halftime, the Lady Canes went on a 13-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 24-15. The Lady Eagles trimmed the deficit to 26-22 at halftime.
The Lady Eagles grabbed a 36-29 lead with 3:28 remaining in the third on a 3-point make by VC’s Ashailee Brailey before North Central responded with an 11-0 run to close out the quarter to lead 40-36.
The game hung in the balance the entire fourth quarter with the game tied at four different times.
The Lady Eagles claimed a 42-41 lead with 6:07 left on a Brailey jumper. A layup by Kaylen Collins bolstered VC’s lead to three points.
North Central’s Sydney Martin knotted the game at 44 on the ensuing possession with a long-range three.
Another Collins layup tied the game at 50 with 1:56 left before Jazlyn Robertson and Quaniqua Joseph scored the final four points to give North Central its first state title in school history. The Lady Canes defensive pressure forced 26 turnovers by the Lady Eagles, including crucial ones late in the game.
“They (North Central) put a lot of pressure on the ball,” Brailey said. “We didn’t execute when we needed to; we got flustered at the end.”
Brailey and Collins each earned a double-double for the Lady Eagles with Collins scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds and her counterpart scoring 16 and snatching 12 boards.
Other VC scorers were: Lexi Langlinais (6), Kelly White (2) and Olivia Chiasson and Leah Camel each with 5 points.
Martin led the Lady Canes with 18 points, followed by Joseph and Robertson with 14 each. Robertson was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award.
“I expected Vermilion Catholic to be prepared for us because she (Guidry) is a very successful coach,” said Taylor. “She had her girls well prepared and we had a hard time pulling away from them.
“We did something we usually do all year. We back off from the press and hit people with it in the fourth quarter when they’re not expecting it. That’s what helped us,” Taylor said.