Basketball: Ciapas returns from ban to inspire Edinburgh Kings

Lithuanian Audrius Ciapas returned from his eight-match ban to help Edinburgh Kings through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Basketball League play-offs with a 79-44 win over Glasgow Storm at Portobello High School on Saturday.

Ciapas, who confessed he almost stopped training after receiving his huge sentence for an incident in the Kings’ Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Falkirk Fury, scored 14 points as the champions completed an easy 145-93 aggregate win to set up a last-four meeting with Glasgow University.

The students upset the seedings in beating Troon Tornadoes 59-52 at Ayr to complete a 145-133 aggregate win. In the other quarter-final, Boroughmuir Blaze performed creditably before going down 83-71 to Fury at the Mariner, the aggregate score being 176-144 to Falkirk. St Mirren, who had a walkover and now face Fury, narrowly beat Scottish Universities 80-78 at Linwood yesterday. Back from injury, Sarah O’Brien came off the bench to score 21 points for Edinburgh Kool Kats in their 59-53 women’s semi-final first leg away win over Polonia Phoenix at Wester Hailes yesterday.

Hannah Peacock added 14 for Kats, who were without Rowan Bell, Nicola Walker, Nicola McBrierty and then lost Lauren Walker injured in the first quarter. Les Jackson led Phoenix with 14, while Ali Mitchell and Julie Ritchie adding 13 each.

Owen Cook scored 17, Marc Dickson 16 and player-coach Andy Smyth 12 in West Lothian Wolves’ convincing 59-37 win over City of Edinburgh in the Lothian Cup final at Portobello.

Rachel Sanz and Kristina Skarnulyte both scored ten for Pentland Star in their 54-41 win over Midlothian Saints in the women’s final. Amy Whyte scored 13 and Amanda Johnston 11 for Saints, who led 13-9 after the first quarter.