15 February 2024
The opening day of the 2024 Jenny Orchard Invitational Basketball Tournament began with a bang as the defending champions, Michaelhouse, produced a hugely impressive performance to overwhelm Westville Boys’ High, while Northwood stole the show with a convincing win over the hosts, Maritzburg College.
Westville has played some very good basketball since the end of 2023. They’ve recorded wins over Northwood and DHS, among others. They finished third at the American International School of Johannesburg Basketball Tournament in late January. Most recently, they edged out Kearsney College 53-52. On Thursday, though, they had no answers for Michaelhouse.
Michaelhouse was sharp. Westville was not. And ‘House made them pay, over and over.
They defended well, forcing turnovers regularly, and then they finished well, too. At one point, three times in succession, a Michaelhouse shooter was fouled, yet still managed to make a bucket, and then tack on points from the free throw line.
The boys from Balgowan made good use of their size advantage, but it was the energy and intensity that they brought to the game that brought them a one-sided 79-33 win.
On the opposite court in the Alan Paton Hall, St Charles College comfortably handled Clifton College, running out 73-47 victors in a result that didn’t really do justice to the effort put forth by the Durban school. If there was a prize to be dished out this season for the most improved team, Clifton would be the odds-on favourites to receive it.
The big clash of the day was the Pool D opener between Maritzburg College and Northwood. Both teams demonstrated some exceptional skills, but the Knights, in the first half in particular, finished with assurance, especially from close range. They also knocked down a number of three-pointers to further boost their score.
Maritzburg College pushed hard, but there were two big differences in the game: firstly, Northwood shot better – College squandered too many points-scoring opportunities – and, secondly, the Knights got the better of the battle on the boards, benefitting especially from their excellence on offensive rebounds.
Lusanda Hlongwane was a beast on the boards, but also sure with his shot, while Chadley Hargreaves sank some beauties under heavy pressure during the contest, including from three-point range.
In the end, there were 12 points in it, with Northwood claiming a 79-67 win, but it was an emphatic victory. Be that as it may, College and Northwood could meet for the title on Sunday. A loss is not the end of a team’s chances. Just last year, Michaelhouse finished behind Kearsney College in their pool and then went all the way to the title.
Speaking of Kearsney, they opened their challenge with a five-point win over Hilton College, taking it 52-47.
The three Western Cape schools playing in the A Division were given rude welcomes, with ESCA dumping SACS 64-41, St John’s College outplaying Rondebosch Boys’ High 59-44, and the Soweto Basketball Academy overrunning Bishops 60-29.
The opening day’s remaining A Division game was a tight affair, with St David’s Marist Inanda edging out Durban High School (DHS) by just three points, 53-50.
Only two B Division matches were played, with Maritzburg College B sneaking a 56-53 win over St Benedict’s School, while Wynberg Boys’ High grabbed a win for the Western Cape, scoring a runaway 62-28 victory over Alexandra High.
RESULTS
Pool A
Michaelhouse 79-33 Westville
St David’s Marist Inanda 53-50 Durban High School
Pool B
St Charles College 73-47 Clifton College
Rondebosch Boys’ High 44-59 St John’s College
Pool C
Kearsney College 52-47 Hilton College
Soweto Basketball Academy 60-29 Bishops Diocesan College
Pool D
Maritzburg College 67-79 Northwood
SACS 41-64 ESCA
B Division
Pool A
St Benedict’s School 53-56 Maritzburg College B
Pool B
Alexandra High School 28-62 Wynberg Boys’ High
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