Defending champs charge into St John’s Basketball Tournament semis
The stakes were raised in Johannesburg on Saturday, the third day of the 20th edition of the St John’s College Basketball Tournament, with places in the semi-finals up for grabs.
The eight quarterfinalists had been confirmed at the end of Friday’s action, with the defending champions, Northwood School, being joined in the last eight by St John’s College, St Benedict’s College, The King’s School Linbro Park, Jeppe High School for Boys, Pretoria Boys High School, St Alban’s College, and St Stithians College.
In a key clash on Saturday, the hosts faced a stiff challenge from a strong St Benedict’s College side, which had finished third in the American International School of Johannesburg Basketball Tournament, won by St John’s.
At the AISJ event, St John’s beat Bennies 46-36 in the semi-finals, but the Bedfordview boys returned the favour a week later, winning 48-41.
Northwood, the emphatic winners of the St John’s Basketball Tournament title in 2024, took on St Alban’s College, while, in an all-Johannesburg match-up, The King’s School Linbro Park faced Jeppe High School for Boys. Finally, Pretoria Boys High went head-to-head with St Stithians College.
Despite playing with the pressure of home expectations, St John’s College booked their place in the semi-finals with a thrilling 49-44 victory over St Benedict’s on court one. It was an entertaining encounter filled with twists and turns, and it gave the home supporters what they wanted.
The reward for St John’s is a showdown with Pretoria Boys High. They claimed a semi-final spot with a 22-18 win over St Stithians in their quarterfinal clash.
On the other side of the draw, Northwood delivered an ominous performance, shutting down St Alban’s College in a resounding 48-18 victory. The Knights hit their straps in the latter stages of last year’s tournament and obliterated their opposition. Might a repeat of that memorable showing be on the cards?
They’ll tackle Jeppe in the semi-finals after Jeppe scored a solid 32-21 win over The King’s School Linbro Park. Northwood and Jeppe tangled earlier in the tournament in a Group D game, with the Knights scoring a comfortable 65-45 win.
SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES
Sunday, 23 February
08:00 – St John’s College vs Pretoria Boys High
08:00 – Northwood School vs Jeppe
Top 16 Results
St Benedict’s 60-27 Alma Mater
St John’s 43-20 American International School of Johannesburg
Northwood 50-32 St George’s
St Alban’s 41-28 Parktown Boys’ High
Hilton College 34-35 The King’s School Linbro Park
King Edward VII 25-26 Jeppe
St Charles 24-42 Pretoria Boys’ High
St Stithians 32-23 Michael Mount
Top 16 Losers
King Edward VII 43-33 Hilton College
Michael Mount Waldorf 26-25 Parktown Boys’ High
St Charles 38-43 St George’s
American International School of Johannesburg 48-17 Alma Mater
Quarterfinals
St John’s College 49-44 St Benedict’s College
Northwood School 48-18 St Alban’s College
The King’s School Linbro 21-32 Jeppe High School for Boys
Pretoria Boys High School 22-18 St Stithians College
u19 Consolation 1
St John’s (Harare) 40-23 International School of South Africa
u19 Consolation 2
St Peter’s College 23-27 St Andrew’s College
u19 Consolation 3
Falcon College 30-22 Maritzburg College
u19 Consolation 4
Sacred Heart 23-50 St David’s Marist Inanda
u19 – 23rd/24th
International School of South Africa 25-9 St Peter’s College
u19 – 19th/20th
Maritzburg College 19-9 Sacred Heart
