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Westside’s defense locked up a trip to Charleston.

The Class AA No. 4 Renegades whipped visiting PikeView, 76-47, on Wednesday night to secure the team’s first trip to the state tournament since 2005.

“It feels awesome,” said Westside coach Nick Cook. “It’s just an undescribable feeling.”

WHS wasn’t as sharp offensively as usual, and Cook said the defense won the game for his team.

“We struggled offensively, but we had a lot of steals and if you create enough opportunities, you’re bound to score on some of them,” he commented. “The defense deserves the credit for this win. And we also rebounded better than we have been lately.”

The Renegades never trailed and held a 36-20 halftime lead when Justin Kenneda hit a three from the corner just before the buzzer.

Westside continued to expand its advantage, and junior guard Corey Bowles scored the 1,000th point of his career before the bench came on in relief in the fourth quarter.

“The coaches kind of lied to me,” Bowles said with a smile. “They told me I was 20 away from 1,000. But Michael Asbury (an assistant coach) said it was 11, and I think that was the truth.”

WHS will play in the quarterfinals next Thursday.

Wyoming East lost to Bluefield, 72-56, in the other Region 3 final. The Warriors finished the season at 16-9.

Some AA regionals were postponed to later this week, and seeding will not be known until the games are complete.