NV sweeps West St. Mary

North Vermilion boys basketball coach Jack LeBlanc could not have asked for a better Valentine’s gift from his team; a hard fought 52-48 victory over a relentless West St. Mary squad.

In a game that featured six lead changes, the Patriots took the lead for good with 1:16 left in the contest as Nick Copper found Jordan Windman who converted a layup for his team leading 16th and 17th point, to put the Patriots up 49-47.

Dade Dietrich later added two free throws to put the game out of reach.

Dietrich finished this contest with eight points, including going 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

LeBlanc was very pleased with the clutch performances of those two.

“(Windman) has led the team in scoring in our last several district games,” he said. “He has been ‘the man.’”

In a season which LeBlanc admitted that North Vermilion has sometimes struggled from the line, LeBlanc was also pleased with Dietrich’s shooting.

“Each player shoots somewhere between 50 and 100 free throws every day,” he said. “It was good to see that (Dietrich’s free throws).”

North Vermilion wasted little time in making a statement as they opened the game on a 14-5 run, highlighted by five points by Cooper and Donald Comeaux, en route to a 20-13 first quarter advantage.

“That was our best quarter of the season,” LeBlanc said. “I thought the guys were ready. They were prepared. They knew what was at stake.”

Though the Wolfpack connected on four three pointers in the second quarter, which helped them narrow the deficit to 26-24 at halftime, LeBlanc was not deterred.

“They made six 3-pointers in the first half and I thought we contested about four of them,” he said. “Give them credit. They made difficult shots. I told the guys at halftime I did not think those shots would keep going in. We played great defense.
We took four charges in the first half which caused them to shoot 3’s.”

Though West St. Mary out scored the Patriots 15-9 in the third quarter to go up 39-35 entering the final quarter, North Vermilion’s defense eventually wore down the high powered Wolfpack offense which ultimately helped set the stage for Dietrich.

“After I hit the first two (free throws), I felt pretty good; I knew it was my night,” said the sophomore, who also took two charges earlier on. “That is why I am here; to make free throws and take charges.”

LeBlanc meanwhile was not only proud of how they team performed on the court, but how they reacted afterward.

“Anytime you can hold a team like that under 50 points, you are doing something right,” he said. “We now need to focus on the remaining games. There was no celebrating tonight. They know they have a chance of winning Districts. That is what
they are focused on. I am proud. I could not be happier.”

The girls game beforehand was also exciting as Simone Pillette hit a game winning 3 point shot with 1:20 remaining to help give North Vermilion a 32-31 victory over West St. Mary.

Bill Levy
Sports Correspondent