Patriots start slow, blow past Eagles 51-34

The North Vermilion Patriots improved to 8-7 on the season with a 51-34 win over Vermilion Catholic Friday night.
North Vermilion overcame a slow start to blow the game open in the third quarter thanks to a swarming defensive effort.
“In the second half, we talked about bringing a different energy level,” said North Vermilion head coach Jack LeBlanc. “Our energy level picked up, and we were able to cause some turnovers and get easy shots.”
The Patriots led 24-13 at halftime, and out of halftime, senior Mike Bessard hit two straight 3-point shots to start the third quarter on the way to outscoring VC 18-10 in the third quarter and taking a commanding 42-23 lead into the final quarter.
The Eagles outscored North Vermilion by two in the fourth, but the damage done in the third was too much to overcome.
Bessard led the Patriots with 13 points, followed by Blake Turner with 12 and Jordan Windmon with 11.
William Noegel led the Eagles with 12 points followed by Devren Constantine with 8.
With district play approaching, LeBlanc said his team needs to keep their energy level high to be successful.
We have to be able to hit some outside shots,” he said. “We are streaky, but looking forward, I think if we keep playing with that energy level on defense, we should be in every game.”