Westside Girls
Westside Girls
Lusk returns , will have a young squad
By Dave Morrison for the register-herald
Tina Laney / For The Register-Herald
Westside ’ s Karsyn Paynter , right , fights for the ball with Harmony Mills of Independence .
Jamie Lusk is certainly no stranger to having a basketball dynasty in Wyoming County .
Before Wyoming East started its run in 2017 , it was Lusk and Westside that had a mini-dynasty in the county when the Lady Renegades won two state championships in three years , beating Scott 49-46 in 2012 and Sissonville 43-33 in 2014 . The Renegades lost to Bridgeport 44-27 in 2013 .
Saying he wanted to spend more time with his family early in the 2019 season , Lusk resigned , and Darren Thomas took over the reins .
Thomas recently retired from teaching and resigned the position .
And Lusk is back in the saddle again .
“ I ’ m extremely excited to be back at Westside coaching the girls basketball program ,” Lusk said . “ Darren Thomas and his staff have done an excellent job and I just want to try to keep it going . I want to thank the administration for giving me the chance to come back to coach here .”
Lusk said the timing was right . And he had been coaching anyway at nearby Road Branch Elementary and Oceana Middle , a Westside feeder school .
“ I got the opportunity to coach my son in middle school and now that he is in high school , I was ready to come back and coach at the high school ,” Lusk said . “ After 25 years of coaching , I am excited about the opportunity to coach these girls .”
It will be a very young team , with Lusk potentially starting five sophomores . But he said the youth movement has its rewards . The players are receptive to new ideas .
“ They are working extremely hard and listening to everything we have told them ,” Lusk said . “ They are eager to learn , and they are pushing themselves to improve every day and as coaches that is all that we can ask from them . We are going to be a very young team , but a very talented team .”
The point guard for the
Renegades is going to be 5-foot-5 Kaylin Matney .
“ She is extremely quick and a fantastic defender ,” Lusk said . “ She does a great job running our offense and getting the ball to the people that need to have it .”
At the other guard will be 5-7 Sarah Lilly , who saw a lot of time last year on the Westside team that lost to Lewis County in the Class AAA co-Region 3 tournament , after dropping the sectional championship to PikeView .
“ She is one of the best athletes in the school and played a lot last year as a freshman ,” Lusk noted . “ She can defend and run the floor extremely well . She is one of our top shooters and rebounds very good for a guard .”
Lusk is expecting big things from Paisley Shannon , who got her feet wet in the varsity waters last fall and has improved in the offseason . She is a versatile athlete who will allow Lusk to do some different things on both ends of the court .
At 5-foot-10 she is the tallest player on the roster .
“ Paisley will play multiple positions for us ,” Lusk said . “ She can shoot it extremely well , but with her height and length , we will use her inside as well .”
His big in the middle is 5-9 Karsyn Paynter , who saw significant action last winter in her first season . She brings back a load of experience from the Renegades ’ 14-8 season .
“ She is extremely strong and moves very well ,” Lusk said . “ She is very active and has a very nice touch around the basket . She played a lot last year and is one of our most experienced players .”
Sydney Lusk is the final member of the Renegades ’ starting five . She is a 5-foot-6 player who brings a spark with her play .
“ She is one of those hard workers that is physical and plays with intensity ,” Lusk said .
Wyoming East will be back on the schedule this season and those games will be at home Dec . 18 and on the road Feb . 15 .
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