Big battles lined up at KZN Top 10 Basketball Competition
There will be no hiding place in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall (APH) from Friday to Sunday.
When Maritzburg College throws open its doors for the KZN Top 10 Basketball Competition from 27 February to 1 March, it won’t simply be hosting a tournament. It will be staging a statement event – one that brings together the province’s heavyweights and, in doing so, strengthens KwaZulu-Natal’s claim to being the epicentre of South African school basketball in 2026.
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And the hosts? They enter with a target firmly affixed to their backs.
College: The Benchmark
College’s credentials are undeniable. Unbeaten this season. Jenny Orchard Invitational champions. And, perhaps most ominously for their challengers, battle-tested in adversity.
On Sunday, in the APH, they delivered a performance that will live long in the memory. Twenty points down in the final against ESCA – who have made a strong case as being Gauteng’s best this year – they refused to blink. Slowly, methodically, possession by possession, they clawed their way back before surging to a 64-55 victory.
It was as much about belief as it was about basketball.
The Red, Black and White have turned their home court into a fortress. The APH doesn’t merely house games; it amplifies them. The support is relentless, the noise unyielding, and visiting sides quickly discover that momentum swings in the APH gather hurricane force.
Beating College anywhere this year has proved beyond every opponent. Beating them in Pietermaritzburg? That’s a different challenge entirely.
Yet this is no coronation procession. It is a gauntlet.
Westville and Kearsney: Proven Pedigree
If anyone understands the demands of climbing the mountain, it is Westville Boys’ High School.
The 2025 Jenny Orchard Invitational champions have pedigree and polish. They reached the semi-finals of this year’s edition before running into a red-hot ESCA outfit.
Westville’s blend of discipline and defensive intensity makes them perennial contenders, and they have enough scoring threats to trouble even the most organised defences.
Then there is Kearsney College, who carry the quiet menace of a side that knows it is better than its worst day.
Yes, College dismantled them 74-45 in a Jenny Orchard semi-final when everything the hosts launched seemed to land. But that result stands as an outlier in Kearsney’s campaign. Outside of that afternoon, they have been measured, physical, and upwardly mobile.
They reminded observers of their steel in the quarterfinals, edging a powerful Durban High School (DHS) side 72-67. That same DHS outfit ended Northwood’s six-year unbeaten home run this season– no small feat. In the bronze playoff, Kearsney pushed Westville to the wire before falling 68-71.
They are no one’s supporting act.
Northwood: Battle-Hardened Knights
Few teams arrive more hardened than Northwood School.
Before the St John’s Basketball Tournament in Johannesburg, the Knights had tasted defeat only once. Then, on opening day, came successive blows: losses to St Stithians and The King’s School Linbro Park.
For some teams, that would have been a psychological fracture. For Northwood, it was ignition.
They closed out pool play with authority, dispatching Falcon College and Curro Helderwyk, then scrapped their way past Pretoria Boys High in a play-in to secure a quarterfinal berth.
And from there? They surged.
Having fallen 48-35 to St Stithians on the first day of the event, Northwood flipped the script with a commanding 57-45 quarterfinal triumph. In the semi-finals, they toppled the hosts, St John’s College, 60-48 – a performance heavy with composure and conviction.
Only in the final did their charge stall, with Michael Mount Waldorf’s three-point barrage overturning an early deficit and leading to 64-55 win.
The lesson for KZN’s Top 10? Northwood has been wounded, tested, and refined. They are fallible, but they are formidable.
Depth in Red, Black and White
While College’s A side has commanded headlines, their depth may be the tournament’s most understated storyline.
In Johannesburg, at the St John’s Basketball Tournament, their B team entered the U19B division and emerged as the unbeaten champions, overwhelming St Peter’s College 61-36 in the final. Many of their opponents fielded first teams. It made little difference.
Should injuries intrude over the weekend, College’s cupboard is stocked.
That depth reinforces their status as favourites, but favourites can fall.
Saints, Scholars and Contenders
Among those looking to disrupt the hierarchy will be St Charles College.
The 2023 St John’s champions progressed through pool play in Johannesburg with a pristine record, beating St Alban’s, Parktown Boys’ High, and St George’s (Harare). Their run at the title ended against the eventual champions, Michael Mount, in the quarterfinals, and they ultimately claimed seventh place after a 43-34 win over St Stithians.
They possess structure, heritage, and a clear understanding of tournament basketball.
Hilton College and Michaelhouse will be eager to reset narratives.
Hilton’s 44-52 loss to St John’s in a play-in clash consigned them to a 12th-place finish in Johannesburg, while Michaelhouse endured a frustrating campaign, ending 16th after a 28-34 defeat to Jeppe.
Both schools have shown higher ceilings this season. Expect a response rather than resignation.
Clifton and Glenwood: Seeking the Spark
That leaves Clifton College and Glenwood High School, who have trailed the leading pack in 2026, but might they spring a surprise or two, given the challenging schedule?
When they met earlier this month, Glenwood edged Clifton 42-38 in a contest defined by grit rather than glamour. It suggested little separates them. Should they collide again, another tight encounter beckons.
The Bigger Picture
What makes the KZN Top 10 compelling is not simply the presence of quality teams. It is the density of them.
KwaZulu-Natal’s basketball ecosystem has never been stronger. Physicality, tactical nuance, and perimeter shooting have all evolved. The gap between first and eighth is slim; the margin for error is thinner still.
For three days, the APH will become a crucible.
College seeks validation of their number one aspiration. Westville and Kearsney eye redemption. Northwood arrives sharpened by adversity. Saints and scholars chase resurgence. Clifton and Glenwood hunt opportunity.
There are no easy draws. No comfortable quarters. No safe possessions.
Only questions.
By Sunday afternoon, one side will have answered them best.
FIXTURES
Friday, 27 February
St Charles vs Hilton, 14:00 (Game 1)
Maritzburg College vs Michaelhouse, 14:00 (Game 2)
Westville vs Northwood, 15:15 (Game 3)
Glenwood vs DHS, 15:15 (Game 4)
Clifton vs St Charles, 16:30 (Game 5)
Maritzburg College vs Kearsney, 16:30 (Game 6)
Saturday, 28 March
Hilton vs Westville, 09:00 (Game 7)
Glenwood vs Michaelhouse, 09:00 (Game 8)
Northwood vs Clifton, 10:15 (Game 9)
DHS vs Kearsney, 10:15 (Game 10)
St Charles vs Westville, 11:30 (Game 11)
Maritzburg College vs Glenwood, 11:30 (Game 12)
Hilton vs Northwood, 12:45 (Game 13)
Michaelhouse vs DHS, 12:45 (Game 14)
Clifton vs Westville, 14:00 (Game 15)
Glenwood vs Kearsney, 14:00 (Game 16)
St Charles vs Northwood, 15:15 (Game 17)
Maritzburg College vs DHS, 15:15 (Game 18)
Hilton vs Clifton, 16:30 (Game 19)
Michaelhouse vs Kearsney, 16:30 (Game 20)
Sunday, 1 March
A3 vs B4, 09:00 (Game 21)
B3 vs A4, 09:00 (Game 22)
A1 vs B2, 10:15 (Game 23)
B1 vs A2, 10:15 (Game 24)
A5 vs B5 (9/10) 11:30 (Game 25)
L21 vs L22 (7/8), 11:30 (Game 26)
L23 vs L23 (3/4), 12:45 (Game 27)
W21 vs W22 (5/6) 12:45 (Game 28)
W23 vs W24 (1/2) 14:00 (Game 29)
