Carolina March Madness: Sharpshooters

With the SCHSL and SCISA regular seasons in the rear-view mirrors, many of the Palmetto State’s premier girls hoops talent is hitting the road as the travel seasons have commenced. For many of those players, the first stop on that offseason trek took them to Comenius School, the home of the Knights, in Fort Mill just outside of Charlotte and only a hop, skip and jump shy of the state that separates our pair of Carolinas. We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand for what was an exciting kickoff to the travel schedule (more to come in the coming months). Here is a look at some talents who stood out from behind the arc. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="175384" first="Kylee" last="Kellermann"] – Philip Simmons HS – TMP 16U White</strong> – Kellerman has made things a living you-know-what-erman since she entered the high school/grassroots ranks and even before then. A dual sport athlete who has also exceled on the soccer pitch, she is a high-energy player who is always a threat to drain shots from long range. Along with a potent 3-point shot, Kellerman will find open lanes that enable her to either penetrate to the rim or find an open teammate. Her game, which also includes free throw shooting, rebounding and defense, are more reasons why Philip Simmons is looking forward to an exciting upcoming two seasons with her wearing Iron Horses purple. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="249922" first="Saniah" last="Sexton"] – Patrick Henry Academy – Charleston Swarm</strong> – It shows on the court when a player is on the floor with confidence and when one’s body language project something other than. Sexton is one who plays with a great deal of confidence. In the second half of one of Charleston Swarm’s games, she displayed during a whole possession that she wanted the ball and how she knew she would score. Sexton later did score – and can do so from anywhere on the floor, including from 3-point range. Sexton was a centerpiece of a Patrick Henry team (coached by Belinda McCoy) that went an unblemished 9-0 in its conference competition and advanced to the 1A SCISA state championship game (at Heathwood Hall) against Newberry Academy. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-267067" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/03/910FEBE0-DE39-44E2-8C47-EC432D3611FC.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="175333" first="Reilly" last="Ward"] – Carolina Forest HS – Confidence Cougars 17U</strong> – Before she completely departs the preps scene for college, Ward will take one more trip through the travel scene with Confidence Cougars. There is a reason as to why her nickname is “buckets” – because she gets plenty of those and a good number of Ward’s buckets come off of 3-point shots. Ward has made the long range game look like layups for much of her career and is a big part of the reason why Bryn Athyn College in Pennsylvania (where she recently announced her commitment to) wanted her to. Confidence Cougars is pleased to have her for now, but the Palmetto State’s loss will soon be the Keystone State’s gain when she makes that big step into the collegiate realm. <strong>Zie'l Ratchford – Palmetto 76ers Select 2025</strong> – Another in the pre-freshman class that is looking for a breakout showing - and has a great chance to get it. Listed as a combination guard and forward, Ratchford displayed an ability to not only drain the 3-point shot, but convert on those tries from downtown as well. She brings a great deal of energy on both ends of the floor and her speed proves to be a great asset, particularly in transition situations. Ratchford also displays a swagger and confidence that will endear her to many a teammate, many a coach and many a fan.