It was another derby day between two of Makhanda’s (Grahamstown’s) top schools on Saturday 2 February, when Kingswood College hosted St Andrew’s College on the basketball court. The day started off with the U14 A teams facing off, before the U16 A and second team matches played out on the court. The final match of the day saw the two first teams battle it out for bragging rights as well as league points.
Early in the day, St Andrew’s looked to have the upper hand. In a closely contested match, the St Andrew’s U14 A side got the better of their hosts by 13-18. Both teams showed a lot of talent and skill on the court, making the victory even more satisfying for the visitors.
St Andrew’s continued to dominate the morning’s play with a fantastic U16 A matchup. The visitors did not let their hosts get into their rhythm while on attack, and the Kingswood defence had no real answer for the St Andrew’s attack. Ultimately, Kingswood were blown away in a 6-46 defeat. This, however, would be the end of St Andrew’s luck on Saturday.
Immediately following the unfortunate results of the morning, Kingswood’s senior teams stepped up their game and produced some fine basketball skill, for which there was little answer from St Andrew’s. The second-team encounter was almost as hotly contested as the U14 match earlier in the day, with neither side willing to give up points. Kingswood found ascendancy, however, and took the win at the final buzzer, with 20-12 on the scoreboard.
The match of the day followed, with both First team sides eager to get one over each other. Kingswood had the upper hand in terms of previous results, leading by six wins to three in the past nine encounters. Those results did not matter, however, as both teams consisted of new and exciting players. After a high-scoring and thoroughly entertaining match, Kingswood would continue their form in this fixture, ultimately earning the league victory over their town rivals in a 69-54 victory.
