19 February 2023
Maritzburg College continued their fine form on day two of the inaugural Jenny Orchard Invitational Basketball Tournament, staying unbeaten in the Alan Paton Hall with another two victories. However, their nearby rivals, Saint Charles College, also kept a clean sheet, as did the boys from Botha’s Hill, Kearsney College.
The hosts got proceedings under way with an emphatic 77-18 victory over Enjabulweni School (Eswatini) to secure first place in Pool A. That booked them a quarterfinal showdown with a tough Saint David’s Marist Inanda team, which had lost just once, to Saint Charles College.
Rose to the occasion
College, in their most challenging contest of the tournament thus far, rose to the occasion to record a 54-43 victory and move on to the semi-finals.
Saints, meanwhile, handled Saint David’s comfortably, coming away with a 53-35 win to top their pool and move into the quarters. There, they faced Pool A runners-up Clifton, a team they had easily defeated earlier in 2023. Once more, Saints had more than Clifton could handle, racking up a 49-20 win.
Kearsney’s clean record
Kearsney topped Pool D after a 52-41 victory against Usuthu Forest (Eswatini) in their final outing. That earned them a last eight clash against a dangerous Northwood team, which had begun the year in impressive form. The Knights gave Kearsney a good go, but Kearsney moved into the final four with a 58-51 win.
Michaelhouse then made it an all-KZN final four with a hard-fought 51-42 victory over the Soweto Basketball Academy. Earlier, ‘House had downed Bishops 58-30 in their last Pool D game to finish second behind Kearsney.
As close as it gets for 9 to 12
In playoff games for positions 9 through 12, Westville Boys’ High edged out DHS by a 40-38 margin, while Clifton secured an upset win over Northwood, taking a thriller 41-40.
SACS, meanwhile, downed Maru-a-Pula (Botswana) in a 5 through 8 playoff contest, and Saint David’s Marist Inanda took the win against the Soweto Basketball Academy.
RESULTS
Game 17: Maritzburg College 77 Enjabulweni School 18 (Pool A)
Game 18: Northwood School 46 SACS 36 (Pool B)
Game 19: Queens College 20 Clifton College 40 (Pool A)
Game 20: Westville Boys’ High School 38 Soweto Academy 42 (Pool B)
Game 21: St Charles College 53 St David’s Marist Inanda 35 (Pool C)
Game 22: Usuthu Forest 41 Kearsney College 52 (Pool D)
Game 23: Durban High School 60 Maru-a-Pula 2 (Pool C)
Game 24: Michaelhouse 58 Bishops College 30 (Pool D)
Quarterfinals
Game 25: Maritzburg College 54 (A1) St David’s Marist Inanda 43 (C2)
Game 26: St Charles College 49 (C1) Clifton College 20 (A2)
Game 29: Soweto Academy 42 (B1) Michaelhouse 51 (D2)
Game 30: Kearsney College 58 (D1) Northwood School 51 (B2)
Positions 9 to 12
Maru-a-Pula 50 SACS 68 (W27 vs W31)
Durban High School 38 Westville Boys’ High School 40 (W28 vs W32)
Positions 5 to 8
St David’s Marist Inanda 20 Soweto Academy 0 (L25 vs L29) (5 to 8)
Clifton College 41 Northwood School 40 (L26 v L30) (5 to 8)
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