Basketball: Costello attracted by Kings' American show

Coach Danny Costello was cautiously pleased after Edinburgh Kings lost 78-66 to touring US College team Franklin Marshall in their first game of the new basketball season at Portobello High School.

"Given our state of preparation and lack of work on our offences it went all right and I was pleased with the level of commitment they showed in defence," said Costello, who was delighted with the play of junior guard Lee Reilly, who came off the bench to score 11 points in a lively contribution.

A trimmed-down Simon Flockhart, who has lost a stone and a half in pre-season training and is determined to earn his tenth Scottish League winner's medal this season, led all scoring with 25 points. Down 23-17 after the first quarter and only 40-37 at half-time, Kings probably threw the game away with a real lapse of concentration at the end of the third when they gave away six points in five seconds to the quick-thinking Americans, who beat Scottish Cup holders Falkirk Fury 82-60 yesterday.