St Kevin's College will play for a national title in Palmerston North tonight.
Youheng Peng scored 27 points, Matt Brien added 24 and both grabbed 11 rebounds as the school's boys team beat Stratford High School 73-69 in the A semifinal yesterday.
A strong second quarter, in which the side outscored its opponent 22-4, proved the key as it fought back after trailing 22-12 at the end of the first quarter.
After extending its lead, St Kevin's had to withstand a furious comeback late, but was able to close the game out on the back of two free throws from Brien.
It will meet the winner of Manukura and Waihi College in the final of the smaller schools tournament.
The match will be livestreamed by Maori Television from 6.45pm.
The school last won the title in 2013, when current coach Hamish Robertson was named tournament most valuable player.
Meanwhile, in the AA competition, King's High School was beaten 96-91 by Kelston Boys' High School, ending the slim chance it still had of making the top-eight quarterfinals. It played its final game against Scots College last night.
Otago Boys' High School won its final pool game 75-70 against Hillcrest High School.
The St Kevin's and Kavanagh College girls' teams did not make the A semifinals.
