Kearsney College has had a successful sporting start to the holidays, with the 1st basketball team winning the 2025 ISSBT and the U14 water polo team winning the tournament held at Rondebosch in Cape Town.
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS STAYERS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Kearsney are the champions of this year’s Independent Schools Stayers’ Basketball Tournament (ISSBT), in a tense 57-56 final against St John’s College. The win followed a 3-pointer to level scores and a successful free throw, both by Pabatso Sithole, in the last moments of the second period of extra time.
In their semi-finals, Kearsney beat St Benedict’s 47-42.
The annual tournament, hosted by Kearsney College, brings together the top basketball-playing schools from around the country, to compete for bragging rights each year. This year 14 schools participated, competing in two pools of seven, in an effort to make the top two in their pool and be in the semi-finals.
Both pools were extremely competitive, and it wasn’t until the final pool games were played that the final pool standings were decided.
St Benedict’s College played hosts Kearsney College in the first semi-final, which saw the hosts winning 47-42. St John’s College played St David’s Marist (Inanda) in the second semi-final, with St John’s emerging victorious 48–41 in a very competitive match.
This set up a rematch from Pool B between St John’s and Kearsney. Whilst Kearsney had lost 41-47 in their earlier match, the final ended up being an absorbing and tense arm-wrestle, with St Johns 30-28 up at half-time.
Kearsney started the third quarter strongly, but St John’s managed to weather the onslaught and were ahead 43-38 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter did not go according to script, and ended with both teams equal on 48 points.
The game then went into overtime, with neither team managing to pull ahead, thus necessitating a second overtime period.
This was a tense affair. St John’s scored a three-pointer to go ahead; however, not to be outdone, Kearsney managed to answer back with a three-pointer of their own. The shooter was fouled and, as he had done all game, Pabatso Sithole made the free throw to give Kearsney the lead 57-56 with three second on the clock.
The hosts managed to keep St John’s from scoring, thereby holding on for an epic win.
This was one of the most exciting finals that the tournament has produced. Credit must go to both teams who gave an outstanding display of schoolboy sport.
Top performers in the finals
Kearsney: Pabatso Sithole 26 points, Kwakuhle Sibiya 9; Jack McReyolds 7, Daniel Prinsloo 6
St John’s: Ama Ntsubanre 17 points, Allan Njanfang Patu 14, Aniel Nuttal-Mbembe 8
Final Results of the 2025 ISSBT
1 KEARSNEY COLLEGE
2 ST JOHN’S COLLEGE
3 ST BENEDICT’S COLLEGE
4 ST DAVIDS MARIST (INANDA)
5 ST CHARLES COLLEGE
6 MICHAELHOUSE
7 HILTON COLLEGE
8 KING’S SCHOOL LINBRO PARK
9 ST ALBANS COLLEGE
10 ST STITHIANS COLLEGE
11 ST PETER’S COLLEGE
12 KINGSWOOD COLLEGE
13 BISHOPS DIOCESAN SCHOOL
14 CLIFTON COLLEGE
WATER POLO
Kearsney’s U14A side were crowned champions of the Rondebosch Boys’ water polo tournament held in Cape Town, after beating SACS 8-5 in the final.
En route to the finals the boys beat Wynberg 11-10 in the semis and Bishops 7-6 in the quarters.
They did well to bounce back from a 4-9 loss to SACS in their opening game; going on to beat Rondebosch 8-3, Affies 7-0, Grey High 3-2 and Grey College 6-4.