The intensity was dialled up a notch on Saturday, day two of the Kearsney Independent Schools Stayers’ Basketball Tournament (ISSBT), with the Skweyiya Sportzone a hive of activity from early morning into mid-evening. A couple of Johannesburg schools, St Stithians College and St Benedict’s College, caught the eye.
St Stithians opened its Pool A campaign with a convincing win over Kingswood College on Friday. On Saturday, they followed up with a one-sided 52-19 win over St Charles College.
Next up, they faced a familiar foe, St David’s Marist Inanda, and added another comfortable victory, winning 49-31. Saints then ended the day with a perfect record of four wins from four matches after running roughshod over Marist Brothers Linmeyer in a 68-9 victory.
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Following their loss to St Stithians, St David’s Marist Inanda demonstrated their resilience by securing a narrow 52-48 victory over Hilton College. That character was again on show against St Charles, with St David’s squeaking past the Pietermaritzburg school 48-47.
They played a fourth close contest when they took on the hosts, Kearsney College. This time, though, St David’s was on the wrong side of the result, with Kearsney claiming a hard-fought 47-43 win. The hosts also defeated Kingswood College 51-25.
The Makhanda school mustered a victory over Marist Brothers Linmeyer, winning 43-29, but Hilton had Kingswood’s number, scoring a 46-35 win. Hilton added a further victory, outplaying Marist Brothers Linmeyer 48-10.
In Pool B, St Benedict’s College concluded Saturday in a commanding position after accumulating three victories.
Against Peace Players International, Bennies ran away to a 63-27 victory. They were pushed hard in their second outing, defeating Michaelhouse 58-51 in an exceptionally intense and physically demanding contest.
Then, in their final match of the day, Bennies triumphed 51-27 over St Alban’s College.
St John’s College, the runner-up to Kearsney at last year’s Kearsney ISSBT, recorded a narrow 33-27 win over Clifton College on Saturday. In their second match, St John’s downed Michaelhouse 42-32.
In the evening, however, they were upset by Peace Players International, who claimed a 48-43 win. Peace Players International also beat Clifton 61-42.
In other matches, Michaelhouse beat St Alban’s College 45-34, Peace Players International prevailed over Saheti, winning 75-37, and St Alban’s downed Saheti 53-25.
RESULTS
Saturday, 19 September
Pool A
St Stithians College 52-19 St Charles College
St David’s Marist Inanda 52-48 Hilton College
Kearsney College 51-25 Kingswood College
Hilton College 48-10 Marist Brothers’ Linmeyer
St David’s Marist Inanda 48-47 St Charles College
Kingswood College 43-29 Marist Brothers Linmeyer
St Stithians College 49-31 St David’s Marist Inanda
Hilton College 46-35 Kingswood College
Kearsney College 47-43 St Charles College
St Stithians College 68-9 Marist Brothers Linmeyer
Pool B
Michaelhouse 45-34 St Alban’s College
St Benedict’s College 63-27 Peace Players International
St John’s College 33-27 Clifton College
Peace Players International 75-37 Saheti
St Benedict’s College 58-51 Michaelhouse
St Alban’s College 53-25 Saheti
Peace Players International 61-42 Clifton College
St John’s College 42-32 Michaelhouse
St Benedict’s College 51-27 St Alban’s College
Peace Players International 48-43 St John’s College
