North Vermilion Lady Patriots in Final Four after 40 years

LEROY – Forty years. It really does sound like a long time, and it is. That’s how long it’s been since the North Vermilion Lady Patriot Basketball Team last made it to Marsh Madness.
Forty years ago, none of the current Lady Patriots were even born. Only a few of their parents were around back then. Head coach Jack LeBlanc was just two years old, and assistant coach Mya Touchet hadn’t been born yet. NV principal Casey Meador was also only two.
In other words, it’s been a long time since the Lady Patriots made it to the Final Four. This marks only the fourth time they’ve reached this stage, with previous appearances in 1984, 1985, and 1986.
The 2025-2026 Lady Patriots made history, beating South Beauregard, 51-45, in a thrilling game in front of a packed NV gym.
The LHSAA announced that No. 3 North Vermilion will face No. 2 LaGrange on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Hammond at the University Center Gym. The earlier game at 6:15 p.m. will feature No. 1 Sterlington against No. 4 Wossman.
The winners of these two games will meet on Saturday in the Division II Non-Select Finals. The exact game time has not been announced yet.
North Vermilion senior Kenzie Marceaux delivered one of her best performances of the season, which is impressive since she didn’t think she would even play, much less start. She had been fighting the flu both the day before and on game day. Still, she played all four quarters and finished with 14 points, making 4 out of 7 free throws.
“I am so overwhelmed and excited to be going to Hammond,” said Marceaux. “We set the goal of reaching Hammond last year; unfortunately, we did not get there. Entering this year, we knew we had a good chance. Our team stayed focused.”
That focus is what helped the Lady Patriots secure the win.
At the start of the fourth quarter, NV trailed, 36-35. That was the last time they were behind. Marceaux made a tough shot under the basket, and then sophomore point guard Rhyan Dubois drove to the hoop, drew a foul, and sank two clutch free throws to give her team the lead for good (39-37).
Dubois hit four out of six free throws, and Kenzie made three out of five in the fourth quarter to help keep the Lady Pats ahead.
NV guard Reagan Semien drove to the basket for a layup, putting the Lady Patriots up 43-39 with four minutes left.
Early in the fourth quarter, NV made three of its first four shots, while the SB Knights missed all nine of theirs.
The Knights made another push and closed the gap to just one point, 46-45, with 1:20 left to play.
In the final minute, the Lady Patriots made four out of six free throws, while the Knights couldn’t score from the free-throw line or the field.
Semien sealed the win by sinking two free throws with 27 seconds left. She finished the game with 11 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Patriots made 10 of 15 free throws.
Dubois ended the game with five points, all coming from the free throw line.
“This is amazing, “ said Dubois. “I am super proud of our team. We have been working hard to get there.”
North Vermilion head coach Jack LeBlanc will make his first trip to Hammond as a coach.
“Forty years. It is a long time coming,” said LeBlanc. “I would say it is an even longer time coming when you do things the right way. We have 13 girls who all played together in junior high. They stuck together. We have 7 girls with a 4.0 grade-point average. The six others have no Cs. They are phenomenal kids.”