Iron Horses’ hoops prove resilient on the road

Road weary? Not hardly. Members of the Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball team have played like they are road warriors.
 
The Iron Horses just completed a 10-game road swing and fared quite well, going 8-2.
 
They owned a 16-3 record and the No. 4 ranking among Class AA teams in the Palmetto State heading into the Jan. 18 home game against Region 6-AA foe Timberland.
 
It marked the first time since Dec. 12 that the Iron Horses played at home. The Iron Horses beat Bishop England in their last home game, a 56-43 victory.
 
Since then, it’s been travel bags, bus rides and victories.
 
“We have embraced being on the road,” coach Garrett Campbell said. “It’s not a crutch and it’s not an excuse. But you have to be able to win on the road if you want to succeed.”
 
The Iron Horses entered the Timberland game with a 3-0 record in Region 6-AA play. The schools played on Jan. 14 and the Iron Horses overwhelmed the Wolves with a 71-44 victory to cap the road swing that produced eight victories in 10 games.
 
Campbell said the key to the season so far is that his team worked hard in the offseason to become stronger and faster.
 
“We come out with an energy level that is hard for other teams to match,” Campbell said. “We have played with energy and that has helped us to get off to a fast start in region play.”
 
Miles Haight leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game while averaging 4.1 rebounds per contest. He’s about 150 points away from 1,000 career points.
 
But top 4 teams are hardly one-man shows and that includes the Iron Horses.
 
Senior Matthew Lemon is one of the hard workers who has seen the work ethic pay off on the hardwood. He’s 6-5 and 170 pounds and is a force anywhere on the court.
 
He’s averaging 10.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
 
“He’s been the biggest difference from last year to this year for our team,” Campbell said. “He can hit the 3-pointer or make a hook shot inside. He can rebound and even bring the ball up court. He’s so dominant. The other teams don’t have an answer for him.”
 
Sophomore guard Robert Watson is also averaging double figures in scoring with 11.9 points per game. He’s averaging 4.9 rebounds an outing.
 
Meanwhile, the Iron Horse girls owned a 7-3 record, including 1-2 in region play heading into this week’s games.
 
The team has had to deal with COVID-19 issues this winter, but the biggest challenge may be the loss of standout Kylee Kellermann, who is out for the remainder of the season because of a knee injury. She was headed to another all-state season with 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.8 assists per game.
 
“We really haven’t played together as a team since Christmas,” said coach Dustin Williams, whose squad has played some games without four starters because of 
COVID-19 contact. “We have had to rely a lot on role players.”
 

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