Three VC starters know their job which is why they will be playing for the state title on Saturday

Every starter on the Vermilion Catholic team has a role which is one reason they will be playing in the Class 1A state finals on Saturday.
While VC’s Ashailiee Brailey and Kaylen Collins get a lot of attention because they score, the three other starters know their role and do a pretty good job.
Leah Camel, Lexi Langlinais and Kelly White combine for around 20 points a game the last three games. But scoring is not their specialty when they get on the basketball court.
“This is not a one-person team,” said junior guard Leah Camel. “We all contribute a little bit and it makes us a well-rounded team.”
Camel, on a good night, scores five points a game. But her specialty is not on offense, it’s on defense. The 5-foot-3 player knows her job is not to be the team scorer. She is too small to be the main rebounder, so the only other option is to play solid defense.
For the last two years, she has mastered the technique of stealing. Her favorite is to come from behind and knock the ball out of a player’s hands while she is dribbling.
“Defense is my thing,” said Camel. “If our team misses a shot, gets a shot blocked or a turnover happens, my goal is to try and make up for it by knocking the ball out of their hands. I try to hustle down the court.”
Thus far, the senior’s quick-hands technique has worked to perfection.
“Leah is our spark plug,” said VC head coach Kim Guidry. “She never quits.”

Langlinais has her confidence up

Senior Lexi Langlinais has an assignment when she is on the court. Her mission is to score as many points as possible. The last three games, she is getting it done and averaging double digits in the playoffs.
In the win over White Castle, she had 11 points, 7 were scored in the first half.
“I’m feeling more confident shooting,” said Langlinais. “I have faith in my team and that we can go all the way. That has helped me in my shooting.”
“Lexi is peaking at the right time,” said VC head coach Kim Guidry. “She has her confidence back up.”
Like all great shooters, making baskets is about feel. If Langlinais has the “feel” early, then she knows it is going to be a good night. But nerves also plays a big part in how well Langlinais shoots.
“After I make my second shot, I feel OK, and I am comfortable where I am,” Langlinais added.
It is Langlinais’ first time playing in a Class 1A finals. Nerves will be there at tip-off, she said.
“I will be a little nervous,” she said. “I will be confident, but there will always be nerves in the back that hang with you until the game starts.”

White on defense

Kelly White is one of VC’s big girls under the goal. Her job is to get as many rebounds as possible and then put the ball back up for a shot. White’s shooting range is within 10 feet of the goal.
If she is not rebounding, she is trying to block a shot or defend.
“Kelly is a our defensive guru,” said Guidry. “She gives us 110 percent.”
She scored five points, had a couple of blocked shots and yanked down at least seven rebounds against White Castle.
It was also her first time playing in a semi-final game.
“I was a bit nervous,” White added.
But the nerves slowly went away when Brailey took command before the game and began talking to her teammates and trying to calm them down.
“She talked to us and tried to relax us,” said White. “After she spoke I felt more relaxed.”