2018 High School Basketball League season gets underway

The 2018 High School Basketball League is underway...

The start of the 2018 High School Basketball League (HSBL) took centre stage this weekend.

The league is contested by the country’s top basketball schools and is divided into eight regions – Maseru 1, Maseru 2, Maseru Central, South 1, South 2, Thaba-Tseka, North 1 and North 2 with each region ranging between four and five teams.

The start of the HSBL season was afforded top billing by the Lesotho Basketball Association (LBA) with the National Basketball League (NBL) given a break this weekend.

The action didn’t disappoint.

In the Maseru 1 section, favourites and 2016 HSBL boys champions Christ the King High School (CK) completed an unbeaten opening weekend after wins over Matikoe High School (33-11), Machabeng College (14-9) and NULIS (23-17).

However, there was a hiccup for defending boys champions Johnson Baker as they were beaten 47-21 by Bereng after an earlier 25-14 win over St John’s.

In the girls’ section, reigning champions Mabathoana started their title defence with a 13-5 win over Sefika.

2015 girls and boys champions Methodist High School, meanwhile, started with a clean sweep in both sections. Methodist’s girls’ team beat Life (34-5) and Phomolong (20-16) while the boys beat Life (10-6) in Maseru 2 action.

The HSBL is the country’s premier basketball competition for high schools and will run until August when the Top 4 Finals are held to decide the national girls and boys champions.

HSBL Results:

Saturday, March 10

Maseru 1

Girls

St Mary’s 39-0 Matikoe

Machabeng 5-6 St Mary’s

Machabeng 37-1 Matikoe

Boys

NULIS 20-17 Machabeng

CK 33-11 Matikoe

Matikoe 8-54 NULIS

Machabeng 9-14 CK

Machabeng 15-16 Matikoe

CK 23-17 NULIS

Maseru 2

Girls

Methodist 34-5 Life

Methodist 20-16 Phomolong

Khubetsoana 5-7 Phomolong

Boys

Khubetsoana 14-17 Phomolong

Methodist 10-6 Life

Maseru Central

Girls

Sefika 5-13 Mabathoana

Leqele 20-5 Sefika

Boys
Lesotho High School 9-20 Sefika

Mabathoana 2-20 St James

Leqele 34-25 Lesotho High School

Sefika 31-32 Mabathoana

St James 12-29 Leqele

South 1

Girls
St Stephen’s 33-21 St Patrick’s

Holy Trinity 8-12 Masitise

St Patrick's 19-11 Holy Trinity

Boys
Masitise 16-18 St Stephen’s

Masitise 17-12 St Stephen’s

St Stephen’s 16-22 St Patrick’s

Holy Trinity 12-26 Masitise

St Patrick’s 59-17 Holy Trinity

South 2

Girls
Bereng 10-22 St John’s

Baker 16-12 St John’s

Baker 22-14 Bereng

Boys

Baker 25-14 St John’s

Baker 21-47 Bereng

Bereng 38-20 St John’s