V.C. slips past Trojans in non-district contest

A three-point deficit with 2:09 seconds left in the first half turned into an 11-point Trojan loss, as they hosted the Vermilion Catholic Eagles on Monday in a non-district contest. The Trojans trailed by nine at halftime, but could not overtake the Eagles and wound up on the short end of a 60-49 contest. With the loss, Sacred Heart now drops to 2-9 on the season. The Trojans will next host St. Joe’s of Plaucheville on January 2nd.
Sacred Heart and Vermilion Catholic both came out trying to get a feel for the game. The Eagles took an early 5-2 lead, but the Trojans were able to battle back and take over the lead 9-8 as the first quarter came to a close. Mikey Laughlin netted five points in the quarter including a three point basket.
The second quarter was a back and forth battle between the two squads. The Trojans led 15-12 with 4:54 left in the quarter, but five unanswered points and 48 seconds later the Eagles took the lead for good. A 1-3-1 half court press by Vermilion Catholic forced some turnovers and resulted in a nine point lead, 26-17, as the first half buzzer sounded.
In the third quarter, Sacred Heart continued to fight, but could not put a dent in the Eagle lead. The closest the Trojans got to Vermilion Catholic was seven points with 5:45 left, as Sean Fontenot popped a three point basket. A basket by Vermilion Catholic with one second left on the clock in the quarter extended the Eagle lead to 40-29.
The final period was pretty much a mirror image of the previous one. Sacred Heart challenged Vermilion Catholic throughout the period, but was matched basket for basket by the Eagles. An 11 point effort by Sacred Heart’s Sean Fontenot could not help the Trojans in their comeback effort. The game ended the same as the third quarter ended, with Vermilion Catholic holding an 11 point advantage.
Leading the Trojans in scoring was Fontenot, who netted 24 points on the night. Mikey Laughlin chipped in 14 points for Sacred Heart in the loss. Conner Fontenot was the leading rebounder with four boards. The Trojans shot 40 percent from the field and were five out of 12 from the free throw line. Sacred Heart turned the ball over 11 times in the game.