Blaze go back to basics as they aim to join Kings in semis

Boroughmuir Blaze will attempt to join City of Edinburgh Kings in the Scottish Basketball Cup semi-finals when they host Stirling Knights at The Crags Centre tonight.
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The tournament is still buzzing after Tuesday night’s opening quarter-final in Paisley, where 30 points from Kyle Jimenez inspired Kings to a 92-83 victory over Scotland’s form team, St Mirren.

Blaze are favourites to reach the semis despite losing their past two league games to St Mirren and champions Falkirk. They beat Stirling 92-58 at The Peak last month and will expect to repeat that against a Knights side that has gone off the boil in recent weeks.

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“We’ve gone back to basics this week, looking to improve our performance, because all we can think about is our two recent defeats,” admitted Blaze coach Simon Turner. “We’re confident going into this game, but we’re very aware of the need to improve, and we know Stirling are an up-and-coming team.”

Two Capital teams go head-to-head on Monday when Pleasance Basketball Club welcome Edinburgh University. Pleasance won narrowly in the league in September, although they are currently on a four-game losing streak. Both teams may still be psychologically scarred after conceding well over 100 points during heavy defeats last weekend.

In the women’s Cup, holders City of Edinburgh Kool Kats will not be involved following their shock exit to St Mirren, but Edinburgh University and Polonia Phoenix both look to progress on Sunday when they take on Tayside Musketeers and Lady Rocks respectively.

Edinburgh-based ladies’ pro team Caledonia Pride enjoyed Cup success in Cardiff last weekend, and they return to WBBL action tomorrow afternoon when they face Durham Palatinates at Durham University.

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Pride need a win following back-to-back defeats by Leicester and Oaklands, and the form book suggests they’ll get one tomorrow. Durham are out of the Cup and have lost all four league games so far, shipping 92 points in three matches and 93 in the other.