VC’s Ashailee Brailey, Kim Guidry claim All-Parish honors

After earning a No. 2 seed in the Class 1A playoffs and a trip to the state championship game against North Central, VC’s Ashailee Brailey was named the Vermilion Parish MVP and head coach Kim Guidry was named coach of the year.
Brailey, a senior, averaged 24 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals per game to earn Class 1A All-State First Team honors.
“She’s (Brailey) a special kid,” Guidry said. She is very knowledgeable of the game. She’s a great student-athlete. She does a lot of the little things right. That’s what makes it such a pleasure to have her. I felt that this year she became a team leader more than in the past. She’s a good kid and you always wish the best for those kids like that.”
Guidry said Brailey became more of a leader on the court in her final season at VC and it helped for the chemistry of the team on and off of the hardwood.
“They’re good friends and when you can become friends, on and off the court, you can thrive better,” Guidry said. “She is the student council president. She was elected by her peers to run the school. That says a lot about her. She’s very unselfish. She’s always willing to help everybody out.”
Joining Brailey on the first team is VC’s Kaylen Collins, Abbeville’s Arrayia Starland, Erath’s Monette Bolden and Delcambre’s Nicole Bouillion.
Collins was a force in the middle all year for the Lady Eagles and was the other part of the dangerous duo that led VC all the way to the finals.
Starland was the driving force and the on-court leader for the Lady Wildcats as she helped them reach the playoffs before losing to No. 2 seed Ville Platte.
Sophomore Monette Bolden helped propelled the Lady Bobcats to the playoffs after leading the team in scoring.
Delcambre’s Nicole Bouillion spearheaded the Lady Panthers’ push for a spot in the class 2A playoffs. Bouillion’s shooting and ball-handling ability captivated spectators on a nightly basis.
Guidry has coached two teams to the state finals in the past four years with one taking home the title in 2013. She said despite her team not winning its second title in the span, it was still a special year.
“Anytime you can get to the top four, that’s an exceptional year,” she said. “We worked hard just to try to get a good spot in the playoffs and once that starts, anything can happen. It is nice to see this group reach the finals two times in their four years for the first time ever. That’s something special because a lot of people dream about doing it and don’t even get there one time. I had a great group of kids; a great group of seniors. I had four seniors and all four contributed, so it makes my job a lot easier.”