24 February 2025
Westville Boys’ High claimed the 2025 Jenny Orchard Invitational Basketball Tournament title on Sunday afternoon with a nail-biting come-from-behind 65-63 win over Maritzburg College.
The Griffin did it the hard way after suffering a big 21-point defeat to the Elite Sporting and Cultural Academy (ESCA) in their Pool D clash.
They started the tournament well with a convincing 61-36 win over Durban High School (DHS) on the opening day of the event, Thursday. However, they weren’t at their best on Friday. They beat South African College High School (SACS) 59-51 in a game they would have expected to win far more convincingly. Then, ESCA dominated the Griffin, cruising to a 50-29 win.
As a result of finishing second in their pool, Westville faced a tricky tie in the quarterfinals against the Pool B winners, the Soweto Basketball Academy, who had trounced their previous three opponents, overrunning Northwood‘s second-stringers 92-38, Rondebosch Boys’ High 96-24, and Saheti School 109-25.
Faced with a must-win clash, Westville lifted their game for their Saturday showdown with the Soweto Basketball Academy and came away with a comfortable 82-68 victory. Meanwhile, ESCA had scored a 39-point win over Northwood, which meant they would face Westville again.
In the other quarterfinal matches, Maritzburg College ran riot against Pinelands High School, winning 89-49, and Michaelhouse, impressively, shut down Kearsney, scoring a 53-37 win.
Given a second crack at ESCA, Westville turned the tables on the Pool D winners, scoring a 65-54 win. The defending champions, Maritzburg College, won by eight over Michaelhouse, taking their semi-final 52-44.
In the final, the Red, Black, and White bounded out the blocks, racing into a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter belonged to Westville, though, as they came roaring back. When the halftime whistle sounded, the teams were deadlocked at 36-36.
They kept going at it, trading blow-for-blow in the second half, with College, at times, threatening to pull clear, only for the stubborn Griffin to claw their way back into the contest. With three minutes remaining, though, College led 61-56.
Coach Byron Tucker‘s charges erased that deficit, however, to tie the game at 61-61. That became 63-63, and College had a chance to sneak ahead with only seconds remaining, but a free throw missed the mark.
Given that reprieve, Westville raced down to the other end of the court, where they forced a foul, which brought them two free throws. Tournament MVP, John Adenumi, stepped up and buried both opportunities to secure the win for his side.
It was a fittingly thrilling finish to an outstanding final.
Third place went to ESCA after a hard-fought 64-57 win over Michaelhouse, while the Soweto Basketball Academy forced a couple of late turnovers to snatch a 74-71 win over Kearsney in the fifth-place playoff.
Pinelands scored a 62-51 win over Northwood to take seventh place and finish as the best of the five Western Cape teams.
RESULTS
Pool A
Maritzburg College 45-39 Michaelhouse
Westerford 47-45 Wynberg Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 74-42 Westerford
Maritzburg College 84-34 Wynberg Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 54-31 Wynberg Boys’ High
Maritzburg College 104-21 Westerford
Pool B
Soweto Basketball Academy 92-38 Northwood School
Rondebosch Boys’ High 54-52 Saheti School
Soweto Basketball Academy 96-24 Rondebosch Boys’ High
Northwood School 56-54 Saheti School
Soweto Basketball Academy 109-25 Saheti School
Northwood School 48-45 Rondebosch Boys’ High
Pool C
Kearsney College 56-50 Clifton College
Pinelands High School 78-42 Kingswood College
Clifton College 72-46 Kingswood College
Kearsney College 63-57 Pinelands High School
Kearsney College 86-32 Kingswood College
Pinelands High School 67-40 Clifton College
Pool D
Westville Boys’ High School 61-36 Durban High School
ESCA 70-40 South African College High School (SACS)
Durban High School 50-38 South African College School (SACS)
ESCA 50-29 Westville Boys’ High School
ESCA 57-31 Durban High School
Westville Boys’ High School 59-51 South African College School (SACS)
Playoff 9-16
Westerford (A3) 52-30 Kingswood College (C4)
Clifton College (C3) 54-46 Wynberg Boys’ High (A4)
SACS (B3) 48-32 Rondebosch Boys’ High (D4)
Durban High School (B4) 77-39 Saheti School (D3)
Quarterfinals
Maritzburg College (A1) 89-49 Pinelands High School (C2)
Michaelhouse (A2) 53-37 Kearsney College (C1)
Westville Boys’ High School (D2) 82-68 Soweto Basketball Academy (B1)
ESCA (D1) 64-25 Northwood School
Playoff 13-16
L25 vs L27: Wynberg Boys’ High 76-36 Kingswood College
L26 vs L28: Rondebosch Boys’ High 55-45 Saheti School
Playoff 9-12
W25 vs W27: Clifton College 52-48 Westerford
W26 vs W28: Durban High School 68-45 SACS
RESULTS
1st/2nd: Westville Boys’ High School 65-63 Maritzburg College
3rd/4th: ESCA 64-57 Michaelhouse
5th/6th: Soweto Basketball Academy 74-71 Kearsney College
7th/8th: Pinelands High School 62-51 Northwood School
9th/10th: Durban High School 73-45 Clifton College
11th/12th: Westerford 63-57 SACS
Final A Division Final Rankings
Westville Boys’ High School
Maritzburg College
ESCA
Michaelhouse
Soweto Basketball Academy
Kearsney College
Pinelands High School
Northwood School
Durban High School
Clifton College
Westerford High School
South African College High School (SACS)
Wynberg Boys’ High
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Kingswood College
Saheti School
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