St John’s College and Soweto Basketball Academy lift AISJ basketball titles

On Saturday, St John’s College won the u18 boys’ boys’ title at the annual American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) Basketball Tournament, while the Soweto Basketball Academy took the girls’ u18 honours.
St John’s had fallen short a number of times previously in the AISJ event, but this time they went all the way, holding off Michael Mount Waldorf School 21-19 in the final.
All credit to St John’s, they had to negotiate a tricky path to the title game.
In their semi-final, they took on St Benedict’s College and claimed a 10-point win, prevailing 46-36. It was a reversal of the 2024 final in which Bennies had convincingly dispatched St John’s, winning 54-30.
There was some consolation for St Benedict’s. They scored a 38-32 win over St Stithians to claim the bronze medal.
St John’s didn’t finish with a clean record, though. Pool A was extremely closely contested, with St John’s, Pretoria Boys High, and Michael Mount Waldorf all winning two and losing one game.
Boys High beat Michael Mount 46-39, Michael Mount beat St John’s 44-41, and St John’s beat Pretoria Boys High 47-44. In the final, St John’s reversed their earlier defeat to Michael Mount.
St Stithians won all three of their Pool B matches, beating King’s School Linbro Park 25-19, St Benedict’s 35-31, and AISJ 49-29. As happened with St John’s and Michael Mount, there was a reversal later in the tournament, when Bennies beat Saints for third place.
Westville Boys’ High enjoyed the smoothest progress through the pool games. They were extended by ESCA, winning 35-32, but, in their other games, they outplayed St David’s Marist Inanda 22-10, and overran St Andrew’s College 45-19.
In the u18 girls’ division, the Soweto Basketball Academy successfully defended the title they won in 2024, adding it to a growing list of accolades. Up against Sacred Heart in the gold medal game, the Soweto Basketball Academy recorded a 32-24 win.
They had been stretched by Redhill in their semi-final, claiming a 31-28 victory, while Sacred Heart had advanced to the final by overpowering AISJ 23-11. In the playoff for third, Redhill defeated the hosts, AISJ, 41-30.
David Tirkaso, of St John’s, was named the boys’ Most Valuable Player (MVP), while Ntokozo Thonga, from the Soweto Basketball Academy, won the girls’ MVP.
Boys’ Semi final
St John’s College 46-36 St Benedict’s
Michael Mount Waldorf School 33-29 Saints
Girls’ Semi-final
Sacred Heart 23-11 AISJ
Soweto Basketball Academy 31-28 Redhill
Boys’ 3rd place
St Benedict’s 38-32 St Stithians
Girls’ 3rd place
Redhill 41-30 AISJ
Boys’ Final
St John’s College 21-19 Michael Mount Waldorf School
Girls’ Final
Soweto Basketball Academy 32-24 Sacred Heart