VC begins title defense

The Vermilion Catholic Lady Eagles have had to play every game this season with a bulls-eye on their back because they are the current 1A State Champions.

Now that the playoffs are finally upon us they get to try and defend their title.

The Lady Eagles finished the season second in district 7-1A with a 25-4 overall record, and a 10-2 district record.

Their regular season was good enough to land the Lady Eagles in the fourth seed of the 1A playoff bracket.

Over the course of the regular season the Lady Eagles were able to claim the Parish and Yuletide tournament championships, but according to their head coach, none of that matters right now.

“Now that the playoffs are here, nothing else matters,” Lady Eagles Head Coach Kim Guidry said. “When the playoffs start, all the records are thrown out of the window and you are in a do or die situation.”

The biggest concern for coach Guidry is the layoff in between their final regular season game and the first round playoff game.

“We haven’t played a game in over a week,” Guidry said. “We have been practicing hard, but there is a major difference between practice and actual games.

The Lady Eagles are facing off against a familiar foe tonight.

VC is going up against Cedar Creek.

The same Cedar Creek team they beat in the first round of the playoffs last year.

“We have to worry about Cedar Creek,” Guidry said. “At this point in time every game is very important and can’t be taken lightly, regardless of past history.”

For the Lady Eagles to succeed in the game against Cedar Creek and the rest of the playoffs, they are going to need to see the role players step up.

Everyone knows about Ashailee Brailey, Kaylen Collins and Katie Frith, but it is the lesser known players that drive this Lady Eagles team, like Ellen Langlinais, Leah Camel and Kelly White.

Those girls and the rest of the bench are the ones that are going to have to step up and play well if the Lady Eagles want to repeat as champions.

“It is going to take an entire team effort,” Guidry said. “If we can do that (play as a team) then we can go as far as we want to.”

The Lady Eagles are playing host to Cedar Creek tonight at the Kim (Gidge) Guidry Gymnasium on VC’s campus.

The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. tonight.

Andy Bullard
Sports Editor