Iron Horses reach first-ever state basketball championship
Are you ready for some magical March Madness?
The Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball team certainly is.
Coach Garrett Campbell’s squad began state championship week with a practice from 6:45 to 8 a.m. on Monday, March 2, to prepare for its first state championship appearance in the school’s nine-year history.
Philip Simmons will battle High Point Academy at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in the Class AA title game, and the timing couldn’t be better, as the Weekend of Champions is held at the University of South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena for the first time since 2020.
“We just wanted to knock out practice early,” said Campbell, whose team won its 11th consecutive victory and improved to 20-7 with a 67-54 victory over Mullins on Feb. 28 in the Lower State championship. “We just want the kids to be able to go home at a normal time and have dinner with their families.”
The Iron Horses, who trailed the Auctioneers 18-11 at the end of the first period, have feasted on foes since losing a heartbreaking one-point decision to Academic Magnet on Jan. 16. The Iron Horses changed their offense to get the ball inside more, and the results have been impressive, as their average margin of victory during the win streak is 22.7 points per game.
“It’s crazy,” Campbell said of his team’s surge. “We tuned in and turned it around. We used (the loss to Academic Magnet) to motivate the players. We’ve gotten better every game. Every game seems to be our best game.”
Senior all-state selection Hopper Afman led the Iron Horses to the win over Mullins, scoring 21 points. Juniors Jack Mevold and Gavin Johnson both had big games with 17 and 10 points, respectively, as the Iron Horses ended the Auctioneers’ win streak at 11 games. The Iron Horses' defense played well, holding the Auctioneers 11 points below their season average.
Afman leads the Iron Horses with 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Mevold scores 11.7 points per game, hitting 56 percent from the field. Dylan Morris averages 10.5 points and 3.1 assists.
The Iron Horses face a High Point Academy team that was 1-2 to begin the season. But the Grizzlies, who reached the Class AA state championship game last winter, enter the championship with a 27-game winning streak. The Grizzlies advanced with a 66-53 win over American Leadership Academy on Feb. 27 in the Upper State championship.
The showdown will be held on the Gamecocks' home court, where both the men's and No. 3 nationally ranked women's basketball teams play.
“Florence had a great facility, and it was great to play there (in the Lower State championship),” Campbell said. “But this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be out on that court. The kids are excited, and I’m excited for the kids.”
High Point Academy, located in Spartanburg, is 55-6 over the past two seasons and is led by all-state selection J’Sean Sanders, an inside player who is averaging 18.5 points per game, hitting 63 percent from the field. He also leads his team with 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per contest.