Northwood unstoppable, crowned St John’s Basketball Tournament champions
Northwood’s basketball team has come a long way and Sunday’s victory was testament to the long hard hours of commitment, dedication and hard work, which brought the Knights the title in the 19th edition of the St John’s Basketball Tournament after an unbeaten run through the event.
Northwood’s Director of Basketball, Doug Nedab, and the first team coach, Kent VanderYacht, could not contain their excitement after their side thumped King Edward VII School in the gold medal match.
It was a one-sided title game as Northwood seized control early on and didn’t let up. By the second quarter, it was clear they were on their way to being crowned champions. At half-time, they led 49-19. At the end, they had recorded a runaway 85-43 win.
Nedab told SuperSport Schools Plus he has witnessed the work that has been put in by the players since his arrival at Northwood. “They deserve this moment, especially after last week losing out to Maritzburg College in the final of the Jenny Orchard Basketball Tournament,” he said.
Northwood avenged that setback when they overwhelmed College in the St John’s quarterfinals, scoring an extraordinary 80-41 win.
“I can tell the ups and downs we have had since then,” Nedab said, “and at this tournament, the guys didn’t play like themselves until the quarterfinals, so I’m proud of this outcome.”
Nedab reserved special praise for Lusanda Hlongwane, who was named the MVP of the Tournament, and Chadley Hargreaves, who also made the u19 All-Star Team.
Nedab also lauded the performances of Siyamthanda Shabalala. “Siyamthanda Shabalala, remember the name. He will be the number one player in the country within two years,” Nedab reckoned.
Hilton College wins the u15 St John’s Championship
Another KwaZulu-Natal school got their hands on the u15 trophy, with Hilton College defeating St John’s College to lift the title.
The first two quarters of the championship game were a real battle, with St John’s just holding off their opponents. In the third quarter, however, a number of changes came off for Hilton and they controlled the physical battle to take charge of the contest.
After hitting the front, Hilton forged a lead and stayed in command until the end of the game, which ended 47-36 in favour of the boys in black and white.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
U15 Final
Hilton College 47-36 St John’s College
U15 Bronze Final
King Edward VII School 30-22 Michael Mount
U19 Final
Northwood School 85-43 King Edward VII School
U19 Bronze Final
St Albans 47- 40 St Charles
19th St John’s College Basketball Tournament Awards
U13 Awards
Overall Team Spirit – Soweto Academy, Gauteng
Best Overall Defensive Team – St Benedict’s Prep, Gauteng
Best Efficient Team – Saheti School, Gauteng
Best Represented Team – St Andrew’s Prep, Eastern Cape
U15 Awards
Bronze – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Silver – St John’s College, Gauteng
Gold – Hilton College, Kwazulu-Natal
U15 All-Star Team
Reddy Riday – Michael Mount Waldorf School, Gauteng
Hercil Nde – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Jowi Cole – Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal
Reza Creamer – St John’s College, Gauteng
U15 MVP
Litha Madinda – Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal
U19 Awards
Bronze – St Alban’s College, Gauteng
Silver – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Gold – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal
U19 All-Star Team
Taite Hendricks – St Charles College, Kwazulu-Natal
Onea Bvumi – St Alban’s College, Gauteng
Chadley Hargreaves – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal
Raymond Gordon – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
U19 MVP
Lusanda Hlongwane – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal
