High scoring highlights weekend’s basketball clashes
The basketball season is in full swing, with schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape completing their third weekend of action. Many teams were kept busy at the American International School of Johannesburg‘s annual tournament, but some traditional derbies were played.
King Edward VII School (KES), one of Gauteng’s top basketball-playing schools, generated considerable excitement and enthusiasm as they hosted their first home games of 2025, with the first team taking on St Peter’s College.
Unfortunately, lightning brought a premature end to the contest with KES 10 points to the good, leading 24-14.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Northwood School, one of the country’s elite teams in recent seasons – The Knights were remarkably dominant in powering their way to the St John’s Basketball Tournament title in 2024 – recorded a commanding 76-53 win over Kearsney College at the SportZone in Botha’s Hill.
The visitors’ victory was built upon a one-sided first quarter in which they forced numerous turnovers to charge into a 20-5 lead.
Kearsney found their footing in the second quarter, but Northwood edged it 21-18 to take a 41-23 lead into the break.
There was no coming back from that 18-point deficit, but Kearsney tested the Knights, scoring only five points fewer than Northwood in the second half.
Simamukele Vacu dominated for the visitors, dropping 33 points on Kearsney, while Awande Chiliza added 16. Lwandile Njapha led Kearsney’s scorers, with 10 points, while Markus Wise and James Hastings-Brown had nine each.
St Charles College, another traditional basketball power, hosted Glenwood High School in the always-bouncing Samke Khumalo Arena and powered their way into triple figures, handing the Green Machine a tough 113-44 defeat.
The visitors swished the first three-pointer of the game through the basket, but they had trouble dealing with Saints‘ full-court press, which worked a treat for the home side, who created numerous turnovers and turned those into easy buckets.
Maritzburg College, fresh off scoring 118 points in a win over Glenwood last weekend, came close to another century of points.
Spurred on by their raucous supporters in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall, they blasted Michaelhouse 97-53. The Red, Black, and White took charge from the outset and were 44-29 clear at halftime.
College captain Nkhanyiso Ngcobo led from the front and was the leading scorer with 23 points.
Meanwhile, Hilton College enjoyed their home-court advantage and ran out the winners by 31 points over Clifton College.
In the Eastern Cape, Queen’s College and Grey High engaged in a fiercely contested clash. There was little to separate the sides, but Queen’s, eventually, pulled off a four-point win, triumphing 41-37.
RESULTS
Northwood 77-53 Kearsney College
Hilton College 64-33 Clifton College
Queen’s College 41-37 Grey High
St Charles 113-44 Glenwood High
Maritzburg College 97-53 Michaelhouse
King Edward VII 24-14 St Peter’s College
