{"id":85014,"date":"2025-10-17T07:21:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T05:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=85014"},"modified":"2025-10-17T07:21:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T05:21:05","slug":"johannesburg-locals-make-strong-starts-at-inanda-hoops-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=85014","title":{"rendered":"Johannesburg locals make strong starts at Inanda Hoops Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hilton College scored a narrow win over St Alban’s College after a back-and-forth contest. Photo: Siya Pongco.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The annual Inanda Hoops Classic Challenge<\/strong> at St David’s Marist Inanda<\/strong>, one of the most highly anticipated school basketball tournaments of the year, tipped off on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The event, which hosts u12, u15, and u18 competitions, runs for four days and concludes with the crowning of the champions on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The u12 division features 10 teams, while the u15 and u18 competitions feature 20 teams each.<\/p>\n

In the u18 division, where most of the attention is focused, the hosts, St David’s, made a strong impression, posting two wins in Pool A play.<\/p>\n

They kicked off their campaign with a decisive 53-30 victory over Sacred Heart College<\/strong> and later won by 10 points against Pretoria Boys High<\/strong>, triumphing 45-35 in a hard-fought contest.<\/p>\n

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The hosts, St David’s Marist Inanda, put on a show on day one of the Inanda Hoops Classic Challenge, securing victories in both of their matches on Thursday. Photo: Siya Pongco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parktown Boys’ High<\/strong> also shone in Pool A, dominating Redhill School<\/strong> 48-22 before handing Pretoria Boys High a 46-32 defeat.<\/p>\n

After their loss to Parktown Boys’ High, Redhill picked up a win, holding off Sacred Heart College to claim a tight 42-38 victory on a swelteringly hot day.<\/p>\n

In Pool B, the defending champions, St Stithians College<\/strong><\/a>, experienced mixed fortunes, with their day finishing on a down note when they were well beaten by King Edward VII School (KES)<\/strong>, who cruised to a 56-23 win.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, Saints<\/strong><\/em> had scored a commanding 53-19 win over Grey High<\/strong>. The Gqeberha school also went down to Michaelhouse<\/strong>, losing 32-42.<\/p>\n

St Benedict’s College <\/strong>beat Michaelhouse 37-30 in their opener, but succumbed to KES, who won 57-42 to lay down a serious marker.<\/p>\n

In Group C, the competition started with The King’s School Linbro Park<\/strong> defeating the Inanda Invitational<\/strong> side 32-23. In their second outing, Inanda Invitational was edged out by St Peter’s College<\/strong>, who posted a 25-24 victory.<\/p>\n

King’s Linbro, on the other hand, returned to the court and added another win to their record, downing Hilton College<\/strong> 42-34. Earlier, in an evenly contested clash, Hilton had battled their way to a 41-37 win over St Alban’s<\/strong> College<\/strong>. The Pretoria school finished the day with one win and one loss, having earlier scored a 39-29 win over St Peter’s College.<\/p>\n

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Redhill School launches an attack, while Parktown Boys’ High, fully alert, prepares to repel it. Photo: Siya Pongco.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Pool D, Michael Mount Waldorf School<\/strong> was the only team to finish the day unbeaten. Unfortunately for Jeppe High School for Boys<\/strong>, they found themselves on the opposite end of the equation after losing both of their games.<\/p>\n

Crawford College, St Andrew’s College<\/strong>, and St John’s College<\/strong> each scored a victory and suffered a defeat.<\/p>\n

The match between Michael Mount and St John’s College was one of the most entertaining of the day, with the lead exchanging hands numerous times. Ultimately, Michael Mount secured a narrow 45-41 win. They followed up with a 60-42 defeat of Crawford.<\/p>\n

Following that setback in their opening game, St John’s College rebounded with a 54-43 win over Jeppe, while St Andrew’s College sneaked a 25-23 victory over Jeppe.<\/p>\n

The Makhanda school, however, also experienced the taste of defeat in another tight game, going down 40-43 against Crawford College.<\/p>\n