Lady Patriots edge Erath, get first district win

Starting district play 0-2 is a deep hole to climb out off.
That’s what was facing the North Vermilion Lady Patriots heading into their district showdown with rival Erath.
Despite a slow start, the Lady Patriots were able to defeat Erath at home 43-38 Friday night.
“It’s huge to get a win like this, especially in your own gym,” said North Vermilion head coach Casey Meador. “You have to protect your home floor. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but both teams battled through some ups and downs. It means a lot to be 1-1 instead of 0-2. Every night is going to be a battle.”
After North Vermilion scored the first five points of the game, all by senior Morgan Harrington, Erath responded with a 9-0 burst to take the lead.
Erath led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Bobcats opened with five unanswered points to strectch their lead to nine, before North Vermilion went on a 5-0 run of their own.
Baskets were hard to come by for both teams, as the halftime score was 24-18 in favor of Erath.
Two big threes in the beginning of the third quarter by Kaylee Lopez sparked a North Vermilion comeback, and a layup by Harrington with 4:10 left in the third gave the Lady Patriots their first lead since the start of the game.
With 1:42 left, Harrington nailed a 3-pointer to put North Vermilion up by five, matching their largest lead of the game.
Erath went on a mini run to end the quarter with them facing a one-point deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Logan Gouttierez’s 3-pointer with 6:40 left in the game gave Erath a two-point lead.
Erath’s Monette Bolden was held in check in the second half after scoring 16 points in the first two quarters.
A bucket by Lanie Breaux put North Vermilion up by four with 1:30, and it was enough to close out the game.
“Going into the second half, I knew we had to control Bolden,” Meador said. “She got off early, and she had some confidence. We had to make some of the others play around her. Once we got settled in, we did a lot better.”
Harrington led North Vermilion with 15 points, followed by Breaux’s 10.
Other Lady Patriot scorers were: Kaylee Lopez (6), Lunden Graham (4), Emily Faulk (4) and Simone Pillette (4).
Bolden had a game-high 20 points for Erath.
Other Lady Bobcat scorers were: Gabrielle Harrington (3), Alexis Lege (4), Olivia Blanchard (5) and Logan Gouttierez (6).
Both teams will be on the road Tuesday. Erath will play Abbeville, and North Vermilion faces Kaplan.