PSHS varsity girls' basketball team off to 5-1 start this season

Kennedy Rivers. Zhaire Mack. Taleiyah Gibbs. Kylee Kellermann and Ella Soper.

Remember the names. If you follow girls’ high school basketball in the Lowcountry, that quintet could be quite a group by the time they graduate. The fab five are eighth-graders who play for the Philip Simmons varsity basketball team and they play quite well. They have had a big role in the Iron Horses’ fast start to the 2018-19 season. The Iron Horses own a 5-1 record following Monday night’s 59-32 victory over Military Magnet.

Not bad for a group that won’t graduate until 2023 and not bad for a program that is only in its second year of varsity competition. The school opened last year and the team won only five games, including just one against a varsity team.

Kellermann, Rivers and Mack were the ringleaders last year even though they were only seventh-graders. They took their basketball lumps early and often, a price a team pays when youth is served. Philip Simmons coach Dustin Williams, who comes from a basketball family, saw potential, and his young team is living up to its promise.

“Last year was a unique experience,” said Williams, who spent five years as an assistant at Wando before landing the head job at the new school. “Last year was a learning experience, and there was a big curve. Now, if they stay together the next four or five years, they have a chance to be special.”

Monday’s victory over Military Magnet might be the Iron Horses’ biggest accomplishment this young basketball season. Military Magnet entered the game with a 5-1 record and returned home with a 27-point loss. Philip Simmons pushed its winning streak to four games and was scheduled to play Charleston Math & Science on Wednesday.

The only blemish on the Iron Horses’ schedule is a 69-47 setback to Bishop England, which is the gold standard for Class AAA teams around the state.

“The Military Magnet game was a good game to see where we are and where we need to be,” Williams said.

The Iron Horses have impressive victories over Whale Branch, Palmetto Scholars and Oceanside Collegiate Academy. They have outscored foes by an average of 64-32.

Williams always wanted to coach basketball. He just didn’t expect his first head coaching job to be at a school with such a young team.

“Basketball is my first love,” Williams said. “It’s in my blood. It’s challenging at times, but we’re going to benefit down the road.

“I just tell them, every day, to get better. They are not perfect, and there is something you can find to work on.”

The team is young, so there are times when the opposition is more physical. Williams stresses playing fundamental basketball and taking care of the ball. If they lose, he wants it to be a result of superior play by the opponent, not something self-inflicted because of turnovers.

Williams also stresses rebounding. Bigger doesn’t mean better, and the Iron Horses have proved that, limiting their foes to one shot.

And with that combination of play, the Iron Horses could be No. 1 with a bright future.

Daniel Island Publishing

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Daniel Island, SC 29492 

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