VC Eagles knocked out of basketball playoffs

On Tuesday, the Vermilion Catholic Eagles were eliminated from the Division IV Select Basketball Playoffs after blowing a 23-point lead late in the third period.
The Eagles led 36-13 with 3:39 to play in the third period but lost 57-48 to Cedar Creek.
Cedar Creek outscored the Eagles 44-12 over 11 minutes.
It is the second straight year VC has fallen in the second round. The last time VC reached the third round in the basketball playoffs was in 1999, when it fell to Lake Charles Hamilton.
The Eagles were without their second-leading scorer, Jonathan Dartez, who had injured his knee playing baseball days earlier. Dartez averaged 14 points per game.
With him not in the game,  VC head coach John Thompson went four deep in his bench.
“We did not have our leader on the floor,” Thompson said about Dartez not being there. “He is our guy in football, basketball, or whatever sport he plays. I hate to see it end this way.”
To make it worse, VC’s leading scorer, Jyrin Bessard, fouled out at 3:45 to play in the fourth period, and VC led 45-41.
“We could not stop the bleeding,” said Thompson. "Cedar Creek started beating us to the ball, and we could not knock down shots.”  
Cedar Creek took its first lead, 47-44, with 2:44 left to play.
 Cedar Creek would outscore VC 16-3 in the final 3:45 of the game.
Cedar Creek outscored VC 23-6 in the fourth period. Five of  VC’s six points were at the free-throw line.
Regarding free throws, VC  made less than 50 percent of its free throws, 9 out of 20.
Bessard scored 13 points to lead the team.
Other VC players who scored were Jackson Trahan (8), Cole Albert (8), Joe Langlinais (7), Will Simon (5), Dom Gautreaux (4), Tre Hebert (3 )and Ty LeBlanc (1).