Maritzburg College eyes another Jenny Orchard Invitational title
The stage is set for Championship Sunday at the Jenny Orchard Invitational Tournament, being played at Maritzburg College, after a dramatic third day of action.
Saturday’s showdowns included some shocking results, including the elimination of the previously unbeaten Soweto Basketball Academy from title contention.
Quarterfinals
They had been untroubled in sweeping through Pool B with ease, but they ran into a motivated Westville Boys’ High team in the quarterfinals and the KZN side recorded an impressive 82-68 win.
Westville had finished in second place in Pool D, while the Soweto Basketball Academy had topped Pool B, crushing Rondebosch Boys’ High by 72 points, Saheti School by 84, and Northwood by 54. But they were outmaneuvered by their rivals in the quarterfinals.
The reigning champions, Maritzburg College, advanced to the semi-finals with remarkable ease following a decisive win over Pinelands High School. The Capetonians gave it their all but were unable to cope with College’s high-pressure game, which led to a convincing 89-49 victory and a place in the semi-finals for The Red, Black, and White.
Michaelhouse also moved on to the semis with an emphatic 53-37 defeat of Kearsney College, who had topped their pool with a clean record of three wins from three matches. They were joined in the final four by ESCA, who took down Northwood by a 64-25 margin. It was an easy win, but Northwood’s frontline side is defending the St John’s Basketball Tournament title.
Semifinals
Maritzburg College faced Michaelhouse for a third time this season in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall, with a place in the final of the Jenny Orchard Invitational on the line. They had previously cruised to a 93-57 win and then beat ‘House 45-39 in their first outing of the event.
Once more, College came out on top. This time there were 10 points in it, with the home side scoring a 54-44 victory.
They’ll face Westville in the gold medal match after the Griffin took down ESCA 65-54 in their semi-final. That win marked a big turnaround from an earlier meeting between the sides in Pool D, which ESCA had won by 21 points, 50-29.
RESULTS
Playoff 9-16
Westerford (A3) 52-30 Kingswood College (C4)
Clifton College (C3) 54-46 Wynberg Boys’ High (A4)
SACS (B3) 48-32 Rondebosch Boys’ High (D4)
Durban High School (B4) 77-39 Saheti School (D3)
Quarterfinals
Maritzburg College (A1) 89-49 Pinelands High School (C2)
Michaelhouse (A2) 53-37 Kearsney College (C1)
Westville Boys’ High School (D2) 82-68 Soweto Basketball Academy (B1)
ESCA (D1) 64-25 Northwood School
Playoff 13-16
L25 vs L27: Wynberg Boys’ High 76-36 Kingswood College
L26 vs L28: Rondebosch Boys’ High 55-45 Saheti School
Playoff 9-12
W25 vs W27: Clifton College 52-48 Westerford
W26 vs W28: Durban High School 68-45 SACS
Playoff 5-8
L29 vs L31: Kearsney College 70-53 Pinelands High
L30 vs L32: Soweto Basketball Academy 76-44 Northwood School
Semifinals
Maritzburg College 52-44 Michaelhouse
Westville Boys’ High School 65-54 ESCA
Sunday Fixtures
Playoff 11-12
08:00: Alan Paton 2, Westerford (L35) vs SACS (L36)
Playoff 9-10
08:00: Alan Paton 1: Clifton College (W35) vs Durban High School (W36)
Playoff 7-8
09:30: Alan Paton 2, Pinelands High (L38) vs Northwood School (L40)
Playoff 5-6
09:30: Alan Paton 1, Kearsney College (W38) vs Soweto Basketball Academy (W40)
Playoff 3-4
11:00: Alan Paton 2: Michaelhouse (L37) vs ESCA (L39)
Final
12:30: Alan Paton 1, Maritzburg College (W37) vs Westville Boys’ High School (W39)
