Preview: St Stithians College u16 Basketball Tournament
The anticipation is almost over and the time for action is imminent for the participants in the u16 St Stithians College Basketball Tournament, which takes place from Friday, 14 February, to Sunday, 16 February.
Expectations are high for dynamic and intense competition, and memorable experiences on the court, with many of the country’s leading basketball-playing schools taking part in the prestigious event.
“The St Stithians u16 Basketball Tournament is one of the premium events on the high school basketball calendar.
“St Stithians hosts 16 girls’ teams from across the country, while there are 24 boys’ teams, including teams from Botswana and Eswatini,” the Sports Director at St Stithians Girls’ College, Ngoza Phiri-Mazarura, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The event is an opportunity to showcase a snippet of the developing basketball talent, and an opportunity to see the rising stars of the game.
“The girls’ section of the tournament is in its fourth year, with several teams including players that are in the national team. The hosts, Saints, will be looking to go further than their semifinal finish in last year’s competition. They will face stiff competition from Saheti, Rand Tutorial College, and Sacred Heart.”
“In the boys’ section, Saints will look to overcome their rivals St John’s College and St David’s Marist Inanda, who were exceptional at the u15 level [in 2024].
“The defending champions, Westville Boys’ High School, will look to retain their title, while the runner-up, St Stithians, will be aiming to go one step further and win. A dark horse in the race for the title will be Maritzburg College.
“Once again, SuperSport Schools will cover the action in what promises to be a highly competitive event.”
The boys’ competition features schools from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Botswana, Eswatini, and the Eastern Cape.
The title-holders, Westville, are in Pool A, along with their neighbours, Kearsney College, St Benedict’s College, St David’s Marist Inanda, and Parktown Boys’ High School. They’re joined by Zimbabwe’s Falcon College.
Maru a Pula, from Botswana, is in Pool B where they will face the the host team, St Stithians College u16A, and their fellow Gauteng schools, King Edward VII School (KES) and St Peter’s College. KZN’s interests will be represented by Michaelhouse and St Charles College.
The first match in Pool B swings into action at 08:00 in the morning on Valentine’s Day on court 3, with Maru a Pula taking on Saints, who will be out to impress their home supporters.
On paper, Pool C is loaded. St John’s College, Pretoria Boys High, and St Alban’s College, from Gauteng, will go up against KZN’s Maritzburg College and Northwood School, while Eswatini’s Usutu Forest School will add a refreshing dynamic to the robust line-up.
Pool D features Hilton College, the sole representative from KZN. Last year, Hilton’s u15 side won the St John’s Basketball Tournament, so they should be in the mix for the title.
They’ll take on, among others, St Andrew’s College, the only team from the Eastern Cape. St George’s College, from Zimbabwe, is expected to add intensity to the competition while Gauteng’s Jeppe Boys, Michael Mount Waldorf, and St Stithians College u16B, will present a strong local challenge.
The girls’ competition will showcase an entirely South African lineup, including St Peter’s College, Trinity House Glenvista, Rand Tutorial College, and the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), from Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape.
They’ll be challenged by the International School of South Africa (ISSA), Kingswood College, St Mary’s DSG (Pretoria), The King’s School Linbro Park, Michael Mount Waldorf, Redhill School, Marist Brothers Linmeyer, St Dunstan’s College, Sacred Heart, St Mary’s Waverley, Saheti, and the hosts, St Stithians College.
Boys’ Fixtures
Friday, 14 February
08:00 – Court 1: Parktown Boys vs St David’s Inanda
08:00 – Court 2: Kearsney College vs Falcon College
08:00 – Court 3: Maru a Pula vs St Stithians College u16A
08:00 – Court 4: St Benedict’s College vs Westville Boys’ High
09:00 – Court 1: Pretoria Boys vs Northwood
09:00 – Court 2: St John’s College vs St Alban’s College
09:00 – Court 3: Michaelhouse vs St Charles
09:00 – Court 4: King Edward VII School vs St Peter’s College
10:00 – Court 1: Maritzburg College vs Usutu Forest
10:00 – Court 2: St George’s College vs Westville Boys’ High
10:00 – Court 3: St Andrew’s College vs Jeppe Boys
10:00 – Court 4: St Stithians College u16B vs Hilton College
11:00 – Court 1: St David’s Inanda vs Kearsney College
11:00 – Court 2: Falcon College vs Westville Boys’ High
11:00 – Court 3: Pretoria Boys vs St John’s College
11:00 – Court 4: Parktown Boys vs St Benedict’s College
12:00 – Court 1: King Edward VII School vs Maru a Pula
12:00 – Court 2: Michaelhouse vs St Peter’s College
12:00 – Court 3: Michael Mount vs Jeppe Boys
12:00 – Court 4: St Charles College vs St Stithians College u16A
13:00 – Court 1: St George’s vs Hilton College
13:00 – Court 2: Maritzburg College vs Northwood
13:00 – Court 3: St Benedict’s College vs St David’s Inanda
13:00 – Court 4: Usutu Forest vs St Alban’s College
14:00 – Court 1: Falcon College vs Parktwon Boys
14:00 – Court 2: Kearsney College vs Westville Boys’ High
1400 – Court 3: King Edward VII School vs St Charles College
14:00 – Court 4: St Stithians College u16B vs St Andrew’s College
15:00 – Court 1: Northwood vs Usutu Forest
15:00 – Court 2: Michael Mount vs St Stithians College u16B
15:00 – Court 3: St John’s College vs Maritzburg College
15:00 – Court 4: St Peter’s College vs Maru a Pula
16:00 – Court 1: St Andrew’s College vs Hilton College
16:00 – Court 2: Pretoria Boys vs St Alban’s College
16:00 – Court 3: St Stithians College u16A vs Michaelhouse
16:00 – Court 4: Jeppe Boys vs St George’s College
Saturday 15 February
08:00 – Court 1: Michaelhouse vs Maru a Pula
08:00 – Court 2: Kearsney College vs Parktown Boys
08:00 – Court 3: St Benedict’s College vs Falcon College
08:00 – Court 4: Westville Boys’ High vs St David’s Inanda
09:00 – Court 1: St Charles College vs St Peter’s College
09:00 – Court 2: St Alban’s College vs Northwood
09:00 – Court 3: St Stithians College vs King Edward VII School
09:00 – Court 4: Usutu Forest vs St John’s College
10:00 – Court 1: St Stithians College u16A vs Falcon College
10:00 – Court 2: Hilton College vs Jeppe Boys
10:00 – Court 3: St Andrew’s College vs Michael Mount
10:00 – Court 4: Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys
11:00 – Court 1: St David’s Inanda vs Falcon College
11:00 – Court 2: Kearsney College vs St Benedict’s College
11:00 – Court 3: Westville Boys’ High vs Parktown Boys
11:00 – Court 4: Michaelhouse vs King Edward VII School
12:00 – Court 1: Usutu Forest vs Pretoria Boys
12:00 – Court 2: Maru a Pula vs St Charles College
1200 – Court 3: Maritzburg College vs St Alban’s College
12:00 – Court 4: Northwood vs St John’s College
13:00 – Court 1: Hilton College vs Michael Mount
13:00 – Court 2: Jeppe Boys vs St Stithians College u16B
13:00 – Court 3: St Andrew’s College vs St George’s College
13:00 – Court 4: St Stithians College u16A vs St Peter’s College
Girls’ Fixtures
Friday 14 February
11:00 – Court 5: St Mary’s Waverley vs King’s Linbro
11:00 – Court 7: Kingswood vs ISSA
11:00 – Court 8: St Stithians College vs Redhill
12:00 – Court 5: St Peter’s College vs Trinity House
12:00 – Court 7: Rand Tutorial vs St Mary’s DSG
12:00 – Court 8: Saheti School vs Michael Mount
13:00 – Court 7: DSG Makhanda vs King’s Linbro
13:00 – Court 8: Sacred Heart vs St Mary’s Waverley
14:00 – Court 5: Redhill vs Kingswood College
14:00 – Court 7: St Mary’s DSG vs Marist Brothers
14:00 – Court 8: St Dustan’s College vs Rand Tutorial
15:00 – Court 5: ISSA vs St Stithians College
15:00 – Court 7: Michael Mount vs St Peter’s College
15:00 – Court 8: Trinity House vs Saheti School
16:00 – Court 5: Marist Brothers vs St Dunstan’s College
Saturday 15 February
08:00 – Court 7: Sacred Heart vs DSG Makhanda
09:00 – Court 7: Michael Mount vs Trinity House
09:00 – Court 8: St Peter’s College vs Saheti School
10:00 – Court 7: Marist Brothers vs Rand Tutorial
10:00 – Court 8: St Mary’s DSG vs St Dunstan’s College
11:00 – Court 7: St Stithians College vs Kingswood College
11:00 – Court 8: Redhill vs ISSA
12:00 – Court 7: St Mary’s Waverley vs DSD Makhanda
12:00 – Court 8: King’s Linbro vs Sacred Heart
