Basketball: Kings and Kats go clear at the top

Though both had convincing victories they did owe their improved league positions to favours from other clubs.

Stirling Knights created one of the biggest upsets for many a day when they defeated Falkirk Fury 67-66 on Fury’s home court and it was a former Fury stalwart, Mark Duncan, who scored the winning basket, a three-pointer with just three seconds remaining.

That was Fury’s first league defeat of the season and it means that, instead of Kings having to beat their Falkirk rivals by at least 24 points when they meet in their return league fixture at Portobello on Friday, March 1, they now need only to win that game assuming they both stay unbeaten in their  other remaining matches.

Kings crushed Glasgow Rocks 121-57 in lightning quick fashion at Portobello, led by 28 points from Lee Reilly and 21 from Ed Rekis while Boroughmuir Blaze went down to Glasgow University 74-53 at the Crags on Saturday and Dunfermline Reign moved off the bottom with a 76-67 home win over Glasgow Storm.

After being 13-2 down at the start Kats beat Tayside Musketeers 76-49 in a repeat of the cup final at Portobello where Tracey Phillips scored 18, Emma Findlay and Louise Gray 15 each and Lauren Walker 14.

But it was the Glasgow Rocks’ 52-47 home win over Polonia Phoenix which opened up the gap in the table, Kats now  having a one-win lead over both Phoenix and the Rocks with a home game against the Rocks at Portobello on Sunday.

Phoenix, who had been eight up, were far from happy with some of the refereeing decisions against them. They are away to St Mirren on Friday and a win would still keep them in touch.

City of Edinburgh crashed out of both the Scottish Chairman’s Cups in Aberdeen yesterday, the men losing 82-41 to Portlethen Panthers after being only  31-23 down at half-time and the women going down 42-36.