Basketball: Fury take title as Kings crash

DOWN 11 points at half-time, Falkirk Fury shook champions Edinburgh Kings with a tremendous second half fightback to win 73-60 and clinch the Scottish basketball league title for only the second time in their history at a packed Portobello High School last night.

“We stopped playing in the second half. They were worthy of the win,” said disappointed Kings coach Doug Reilly.

Fury brought back their injured “twin towers” Roni Gordon and Stu Mackay for the game, Gordon for the first time since he suffered a serious knee injury against Kings in November and their rebounding may have been a factor.

It was their guards Johnny Bunyan and Scott Russell, though, who did most damage with their driving and shooting late on. With the two teams equal on points going into this, their last game of the regular season, the opening exchanges were tense and uninspiring but what good moves there were mostly came from the home side whose fast break helped them to lead 38-27 at half-time. By the end of the third quarter, however, the visitors had crept back to trail by only one point, 44-45.

An amazing last quarter in which Bunyan scored four three-pointers sealed the victory. The teams were level 51-51 with four minutes left but the Kings’ shooting grew more desperate and Walter Lubeight sealed the match with four free throws.