St Stithians, KES and St Charles excel on day two at St John’s
The second day at St John’s College Basketball Tournament provided a chance for teams like Northwood, which suffered two losses on the first day, to recover. Others, including St Stithians College, St Charles College, and King Edward VII School (KES), continued their winning streak from Thursday into Friday.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
u19 Category A
In Pool A, the defending champions, Northwood, found themselves under unexpected pressure after losses in their two Thursday matches. On Friday, the Knights rebounded with two wins, defeating Curro Helderwyk 59-25 and Falcon College 61-29.
Those two victories were, however, insufficient to secure the Durban school either first or second place in the group. St Stithians College finished top of the standings, with The King’s School Linbro Park claiming second spot.
Saints cruised to a 65-18 win over Curro Helderwyk before beating King’s Linbro 48-31 in the battle for the top spot.
Falcon College placed fourth in the pool, with Curro Helderwyk propping up the standings.
In Pool B, St Benedict’s College finished with three wins from their four matches. They started their challenge with three successive victories – over Michael Mount Waldorf School, Hilton College, and St Andrew’s College – but Jeppe stopped Bennies, winning 35-30.
The Bedfordview boys finished top of the standings, however. Michael Mount, in second place, sported an identical record of three victories and one defeat. On Friday, Michael Mount handled St Andrew’s College convincingly, winning 47-26.
Hilton College secured third place, also beating St Andrew’s College, with their match ending 59-41. The KZN Midlands’ side impressed against Jeppe, too, romping to a 47-29 win.
KES completed their Pool C schedule with a perfect record, which St Charles College, in Pool D, matched.
Since the start of the tournament, on Thursday, when they won three games – defeating Michaelhouse, St David’s Marist Inanda, and Crawford College (Sandton) – KES has caught the eye. On Friday, they wrapped up their group games with a 58-45 victory over Pretoria Boys High (PBHS).
Despite their loss to KES, PHBS secured second place, winning a key contest against Michaelhouse by a narrow 42-40 margin. ‘House had no problems against Crawford College, rolling to a comprehensive 52-13 victory.
St Charles College, the 2023 champions, followed up wins over Parktown Boys’ High and St John’s College on Thursday with two more victories on Friday, beating St George’s College (Harare) 60-40 and St Alban’s College 60-41.
The hosts, who finished as the runner-up in 2025, ended second in the group after scraping past St Alban’s 42-40. They also scored a 44-27 win over Parktown.
u19 Category B
In the u19 Category B event, Maritzburg College B finished top of Pool A, with a clean record of four wins from four matches.
They defeated Sacred Heart College, Redhill School, the YUT Basketball Academy (Mauritius), and Saheti. College concluded their group fixtures on Friday with a hard-fought 44-38 win over Redhill.
Sacred Heart College, which finished in second place, won more convincingly than College against Redhill, triumphing 50-30, while the YUT Basketball Academy beat Saheti, 53-46.
In Pool B, St Peter’s College, like Maritzburg College B, also went undefeated, downing St John’s College B, Crawford Lonehill, Lomagundi College, and Alma Mater International School.
On Friday, St Peter’s beat Crawford Lonehill 56-46 in their last group match. St John’s College B secured second place with a high-scoring 81-59 win over Lomagundi College.
RESULTS
Friday, 20 February
u19 Category A
Pool A
Northwood 61-29 Falcon College
St Stithians College 65-18 Curro Helderwyk
Northwood 59-25 Curro Helderwyk
St Stithians College 48-31 King’s Linbro
Pool B
Michael Mount 47-26 St Andrew’s College
Jeppe 35-30 St Benedict’s College
Hilton College 59-41 St Andrew’s College
Hilton College 47-29 Jeppe
Pool C
St David’s 36-29 Crawford College (Sandton)
Michaelhouse 52-13 Crawford College (Sandton)
KES 59-45- PHBS
PHBS 42-40 Michaelhouse
Pool D
St John’s College 40-42 St Alban’s College
St John’s College 44-27 Parktown Boys’ High
St Charles College 60-46 St George’s College
St Charles College 60-41 St Alban’s College
u19 A – Play in Game
4 – B3vs D2: St John’s College 52-44 Hilton College
u19 Category B
Pool A
Maritzburg College B 44-38 Redhill
Sacred Heart College 50-39 Redhill
YUT Basketball Academy 53-46 Saheti
Pool B
Crawford Lonehill 58-17 Alma Mater
St John’s College B 91-59 Lomagundi 59
St Peter’s College 56-45 Crawford Lonehill
