By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Few coaches in the Ozarks have earned as many wins as Jacky Payne, who enters his 40th season with 638 wins, 69 of which have come in his four seasons at Lebanon.
The Lady Jackets are coming off of a 20-7 campaign that saw them put together one of the most explosive offenses in the area. While they’ve lost four starters from that team, Lebanon does return one of the state’s best players in senior Western Illinois commit Raegan McCowan.
McCowan is a 5-foot-11 wing that averaged 19.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. She has scored 1,456 career points and has had 29 double-doubles in her career. She’s the second on the all-time scoring list behind Kelsey Winfrey.
“Raegan is very versatile and can play every position on the floor,” said Payne. “She’s a great player to coach and an outstanding teammate.”
Lebanon is also looking forward to the return of juniors Bodie Cox (5-11), Kameron Compton (5-7) and McKinley Rodden (5-8). Payne believes they’re all ready to contribute.
Payne on Cox: “Bodie has had a great offseason. She has played a lot of AAU basketball. She has really improved and will be ready to step into the varsity lineup and be a factor.”
Payne on Compton: “Kameron is a tough kid that always provides maximum effort and hustle.”
Payne on Rodden: “McKinley is a good all-around player and teammate.”
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A large sophomore class should also be in the mix for playing time with Shawna Rogers (5-10), Madison Myers (5-9), Faith Compton (5-7) and Morgan Durbin (5-6) all showing growth over the summer.
Payne on Rogers: “Shawna had a good year on the JV last season and will look to continue improving her skills.”
Payne on Myers: “Madison can play both inside or outside. She will give us added depth on the varsity.”
Payne on Compton: “Faith is stepping up from the JV team where she ran the point. She had a great summer working on her game and will be counted on to play important minutes this season.”
Payne on Durbin: “Morgan has improved tremendously in her two years of playing basketball. She has natural instincts and toughness.”
Sophomore Madilynn Hilton (5-10) is a transfer from Richland and freshman Addison Dent are new to the roster but come in with high expectations. Lebanon also added a pair of accomplished transfers in Heaven and Nevaeh Shockley.
Heaven is a 6-foot-1 senior that averaged 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks last year for Central. Nevaeh is a sophomore guard that averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
Lebanon is battling some roster turnover, but the expectations haven’t changed. The Jackets have been over .500 in seven of the last eight seasons with a pair of district championships.
After a pair of single-digit losses to Kickapoo and West Plains cost Lebanon an opportunity to win the Ozark Conference championship, the Lady Jackets are now hoping to get over the hump and again compete for conference and district titles.
“I’m very optimistic and excited about our upcoming season,” said Payne. “Even though we lost seven very quality seniors, we will return Raegan McCown who is one of the best players in the state. With the addition of Heaven and Nevaeh Shockley as well as our competitive JV from last season we will have a strong nucleus. They are a great group of kids to work with and exhibit passion for the game. Our program motto is “Be Physically Aggressive & Mentally Alert.”
Lebanon will host Conway and Laquey in a jamboree on Nov. 17 before opening the 2022-23 regular season by hosting Nevada on Nov. 21.
