Johannesburg locals make strong starts at Inanda Hoops Classic
The annual Inanda Hoops Classic Challenge at St David’s Marist Inanda, one of the most highly anticipated school basketball tournaments of the year, tipped off on Thursday.
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The event, which hosts u12, u15, and u18 competitions, runs for four days and concludes with the crowning of the champions on Sunday.
The u12 division features 10 teams, while the u15 and u18 competitions feature 20 teams each.
In the u18 division, where most of the attention is focused, the hosts, St David’s, made a strong impression, posting two wins in Pool A play.
They kicked off their campaign with a decisive 53-30 victory over Sacred Heart College and later won by 10 points against Pretoria Boys High, triumphing 45-35 in a hard-fought contest.
Parktown Boys’ High also shone in Pool A, dominating Redhill School 48-22 before handing Pretoria Boys High a 46-32 defeat.
After their loss to Parktown Boys’ High, Redhill picked up a win, holding off Sacred Heart College to claim a tight 42-38 victory on a swelteringly hot day.
In Pool B, the defending champions, St Stithians College, experienced mixed fortunes, with their day finishing on a down note when they were well beaten by King Edward VII School (KES), who cruised to a 56-23 win.
Earlier in the day, Saints had scored a commanding 53-19 win over Grey High. The Gqeberha school also went down to Michaelhouse, losing 32-42.
St Benedict’s College beat Michaelhouse 37-30 in their opener, but succumbed to KES, who won 57-42 to lay down a serious marker.
In Group C, the competition started with The King’s School Linbro Park defeating the Inanda Invitational side 32-23. In their second outing, Inanda Invitational was edged out by St Peter’s College, who posted a 25-24 victory.
King’s Linbro, on the other hand, returned to the court and added another win to their record, downing Hilton College 42-34. Earlier, in an evenly contested clash, Hilton had battled their way to a 41-37 win over St Alban’s College. The Pretoria school finished the day with one win and one loss, having earlier scored a 39-29 win over St Peter’s College.
In Pool D, Michael Mount Waldorf School was the only team to finish the day unbeaten. Unfortunately for Jeppe High School for Boys, they found themselves on the opposite end of the equation after losing both of their games.
Crawford College, St Andrew’s College, and St John’s College each scored a victory and suffered a defeat.
The match between Michael Mount and St John’s College was one of the most entertaining of the day, with the lead exchanging hands numerous times. Ultimately, Michael Mount secured a narrow 45-41 win. They followed up with a 60-42 defeat of Crawford.
Following that setback in their opening game, St John’s College rebounded with a 54-43 win over Jeppe, while St Andrew’s College sneaked a 25-23 victory over Jeppe.
The Makhanda school, however, also experienced the taste of defeat in another tight game, going down 40-43 against Crawford College.
RESULTS
Thursday, 16 October
Pool A
St David’s 53-30 Sacred Heart College
Parktown Boys’ High 48-22 Redhill
Parktown Boys’ High 46-32 Pretoria Boys High
Redhill 42-38 Sacred Heart College
St David’s 45-35 Pretoria Boys High
Pool B
KES 57-42 St Benedict’s College
St Benedict’s College 37-30 Michaelhouse
St Stithians College 53-19 Grey High School
KES 56-23 St Stithians College
Michaelhouse 42-32 Grey High School
Pool C
The King’s Linbro 32-23 Inanda Invitational
St Alban’s College 39-29 St Peter’s College
Hilton College 41-37 St Alban’s College
St Peter’s College 25-24 Inanda Invitational
The King’s Linbro 42-34 Hilton College
Pool D
Michael Mount 45-41 St John’s College
St Andrew’s College 25-23 Jeppe
Michael Mount 60-42 Crawford
St John’s College 54-43 Jeppe
Crawford 43-40 St Andrew’s College
