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For the ardent supporters of the girls basketball team at Philip Simmons High School, February 1, 3 2024, marked the end of an era.
That evening, in a Class AAA Sweet 16 match, Crestwood defeated the Iron Horses, ending their season. Three athletes who had been a part of the team since the program’s start in 2017—Kennedy Rivers, Zhaire Mack, and Kylee Kellermann—were announced to be leaving by Philip Simmons.
Both Rivers and Kellermann were recognized as all-state players and finished their careers with 1,000 points.
Mack lost her chance to score 1,000 points in the
Combined, the trio led the Iron Horses to a 72-40 record in the six seasons. Twenty-eight of those losses came in the program’s first three years.
“They were with me since Day 1,” coach Dustin Williams said of the three players. “I’m thankful for what they’ve done to help the program grow. The three of them played in a Lower State championship, two Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s while winning two region championships. They brought so much to the program.
“They did the work. They set the standard for future Philip Simmons’ teams,” Williams added. “They went out, took their lumps at first, worked hard and came out as winners.”
The Iron Horses enter the 2023-24 season with 43 victories in their last 55 games, including 20-6 last winter.
“We don’t like to use the word rebuild,” Williams said. “We have a new group for Team 7, and we have retooled some things. We will actually have more size and will be a little more versatile, and that should help. We have some players whose time has come to step up.
“We have players who want to please the coaches, the fans and their teammates,” Williams added. “It’s not like we have the attitude that people are going to run over us. We have some players who are ready to go – and grow. We should have a fun group to watch this year.”
The projected starting lineup includes Tia Chaney, Lily Buceti, Sophia Wirsing, Germany Moore and Kenira Holmes.
Key players off the bench will include Harper Cohen, Adriana Williams, Regan Baker and Nykeisha Brown.
Chaney is a senior point guard who has been in the program four years and should grow into an all-region caliber type of player. Buceti is a junior who already has 45 varsity games under her belt. She’s effective at both ends of the court.
Moore should have a big presence under the basket after averaging 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman. Holmes, a 5-11 sophomore can be a terror on defense. She recorded five blocked shots in one game last winter.
The Iron Horse girls dominated Georgetown in their season opener Monday night, outscoring the Bulldogs 62-10. They will travel to James Island on Thursday. Georgetown went 10-15 last winter. James Island was 18-11 last winter and began the 2023-24 season with two victories in three games.
Covid-19 season because she chose not to play. She received all-state recognition and concluded with 978 career points.
