Historic season comes to end for North Vermilion Lady Patriots

LEROY—On Thursday, the No. 2 North Vermilion Lady Patriots ended their historic season by falling to No. 7 Albany, 44-37, in Leroy.
It was historic because it was the first time the Lady Patriots had won a record 27 games in a season and an outright Class 4A district title.
“It was a historic season for North Vermilion,” said NV girls coach Jack LeBlanc. “We achieved a record number of wins, claimed a district title, and defeated teams we’ve never beaten. For the first time in school history, we beat St. Thomas More and LaGrange.
“I know it is hard to lose in the quarterfinal game, but once you get to the Top 8, the numbers do not matter. It is going to be a close game, no matter what.”
Albany is no stranger to reaching the final four in the girls’ playoffs. They have made it there for four straight years, including a loss in last year’s finals.
The last time a North Vermilion girls’ team reached the Final Four was in the late 1980s.
LeBlanc said Albany’s experience could have been the difference.
“You have to put that into play,” he said. “Their top two seniors have made the Top 28, and their only loss was to Wossman in the finals. It’s their tradition, and we are trying to start a tradition by building on it and keeping it going.”
The Lady Patriots took their only lead, 24-23, at the 6:29  mark in the third quarter. NV finished the third period down, 30-28.
The Lady Patriots’ shooting did not show up for the entirety of four quarters. In the first quarter, they made 3 out of 7 buckets, and in the second quarter, they were 4 out of 10.
In the first half, NV shot 41 percent from the field and were only down 23-22.
The Lady Patriots’ shooting did snot improve in the second half. They finished shooting 3 out of 22 from the floor. In the fourth period, the Lady Patriots made their only bucket with 42 seconds to play.
In the game, their shooting percentage was 22%. 
Free throws kept the Lady Patriots in the game. They made 10 out of 18. 
The Lady Patriots will be losing four seniors: Taylor Marceaux, Nylah Harrison, Ava Denais and Emmerson Kelly. They were freshmen in LeBlanc’s first year as the girls’ head coach.
“I can not talk enough about these four girls. I never had to worry about them showing up or their grades,” said LeBlanc. “They were great role players and teammates. They do everything right.”
NV’s leading scorer was freshman Ashante Rose, who finished with 14 poi ants. She scored 7 of her 14 points in the second period. 
Dennis (5), Reagan Semien (6), and Stevie Brasseaux (4) were the other NV scorers.