Champions!
From zero to state champions in just nine years.
The Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball team captured its first state title in the school’s brief history with a 50-46 victory over High Point Academy in the Class AA championship March 5 at the Colonial Life Arena at the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
“It’s always a dream to do this, to take it to the top and cross the finish line, finish as champs,” Philip Simmons coach Garrett Campbell said. “For the players to do this and have that kind of spirit is awesome. For the rest of their lives, they will never forget this. They are immortal as a first-time Iron Horse champions in school history.
“The school will be around forever, and they were the first,” Campbell continued. “I’m so proud of these guys. It couldn’t have happened to a better group of guys.”
The Iron Horses went 1-12 in the initial season, 2017-18. Their first winning season came during the COVID-19 era when they posted a 6-3 record in 2020-21. The Iron Horses showed major potential the next season with a 25-4 record.
The Iron Horses fell in an 8-0 hole early in the first quarter against the Grizzlies, who entered the game with a 27-game winning streak. The Grizzlies led by as much as 9 points. But much like their Lower State win over Mullins, the Iron Horses fought back with strong defense, clutch shooting, hustle and heart to win their 12th consecutive victory and finish with a 21-7 record.
“We did the same thing in the prior game,” Campbell said in reference to the game against Mullins in which the Iron Horses fell behind 18-11 at the end of the first period. “But I knew we would be OK once we could catch our breath. I knew a lot could happen in a short time. We kept our composure and gained control of the game. It was awesome that we didn’t fall apart. We kept plugging along and stuck with our game plan.”
High Point Academy led 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. But the Iron Horses settled in, had a good shot selection and used a 2-3 zone defense to slow down the Grizzlies. Campbell’s crew rallied to take a 30-28 halftime lead. The Grizzlies led entering the final stanza, but the Iron Horses outscored HPA 13-8, hitting some clutch free throws in the final 8 minutes to win.
Hopper Afman led the Iron Horses with 15 points, hitting 6 of 12 from the field. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, and handed out 2 assists.
Guard Dylan Morris added 13 points and played pressure defense with 4 steals. Jack Mevold chipped in with 9 points while Gavin Johnson grabbed 8 of the Iron Horses’ 30 rebounds.
“Our two-three defense played really hard,” Campbell said. “We wanted to neutralize their big man (J’Sean Sanders) and let them shoot three-point shots.”
The strategy worked as the Grizzlies, who entered the game averaging 71 points a game, were held to 25 points below their average. Sanders managed 14 points, but the Grizzlies hit only 18 of 52 attempts from the field and were 4 of 17 from 3-point land.
“This was unbelievable,” Campbell said. "This is our ninth year and we started at the bottom. This win was for the Iron Horse community, the Iron Horse nation, the students and families who supported and believed in us.”