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RBL: Pretoria Boys High School vs. St Albans

By on February 10, 2011 in High School

ST Alban’s were left seething at the weekend when visiting Pretoria Boys’ High staged a famous come-from-behind victory in one of the fiercest basketball battles between the two schools in a long time.

Boys’ High, who had looked lethargic in the first three quarters, clinched the match 46-43 in the five minutes of overtime.

They were trailing behind when the host blew a six-point third-quarter lead in a match in which seven players – four from Boys’ High and three from St Alban’s – were ejected from the game.

The visitors’ point guard, Kutlwano Mafuluko, and shooting guard, Siphumle Qanya, each scored 10 points to hand their school victory, while St Alban’s skipper and forward Theo Ledwaba scored 12 in the home side’s losing effort.

The two teams had enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the league going into this match.

While Boys’ High finished the first half of the season unbeaten, the St Alban’s side struggled throughout with consistency.

St Alban’s took control of the game from the tip-off, going into a 11-7 lead in the first quarter with two three-pointers from shooting guard Junior Kganane and reserve point guard Keletso Pooe, who were given space by the Boys’ High defence to shoot at will.

Buoyed by their four-point lead going into the second quarter, the home side displayed attacking guile through starting point guard Mlungisi Mahlathini, who scored only two points in the first quarter, but had his best spell in the game in the second, scoring five points.

First Mahlathini got a two-point jumper and then he pierced the Boys’ High defence to score a lay-up and complete the three-point play from the line after he was fouled while attempting to score.

Boys’ High battled to get their game going as they found the home side’s zone defence tough to crack. They scored a single point from the free throw line, while St Alban’s added seven points to hold a 22-8 lead at the end of the quarter.

The third quarter belonged to the visitors, with point guard Kutlwano Mafuluko helping to cut the St Alban’s lead to six points with two two-point jumpers.

The home side added six points in the third quarter to claim a 28-22 lead.

In the final quarter, St Alban’s scored eight points to lead 36-33.

The side were looking good for victory until the visitors turned the game on its head, with shooting guard Siphumle Qanya firing in a three-pointer to send the tie into five minutes’ overtime in which  Boys’ High outscored St Alban’s by 10 points to six.

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