BASKETBALL: Their schools may be sporting rivals, but the basketballers from St John’s and Roma State College weren’t letting their rivalry get the better of them for the upcoming competition.

The school basketball teams went head-to-head on Friday night in the lead up to the Champion Basketball School of Queensland tournament in September, which the St John’s team was selected for earlier in the year.

Friday’s match was one of the seven-game series between the two schools to help St John’s get ready for the competition.

But the boys showed no signs of slowing down, holding on to the match before St John’s defended their one-point lead over Roma State in the last 15 seconds to settle the match 52-51.

St John’s coach Alex DePetro said it was an intense game for both sides, with the St John’s boys working hard to train for the upcoming competition.

“We gave up some offensive fouls, but the team managed to come back from behind twice, and it made for an intense last 30 seconds,” he said.

“Almost everyone here plays in the Maranoa teams, so the boys show their hard work on the courts.”

Despite the apparent rivalry between the two schools, the players make up for it with their competitiveness between the series.

Roma State coach Amie Barclay said their friendly competition made for one of the best games they’ve played this year.

“The boys had a great game; sometimes the competition puts them out of their zone, but they held on until the last minute,” she said.

“They train every week and keep up with the competition, so I’m definitely proud of them.”

Maranoa Basketball co-ordinator Mat Gane said it was great to see the boys having fun on the court, especially with St John’s already facing the competition in September.

“It’s a friendly interschool rivalry, so it’s always good to see the boys get on the court,” he said.