Local basketball: Kool Kats keep their title hopes alive

City of Edinburgh Kool Kats returned to league business following last week’s Scottish Cup triumph and kept their faint title hopes alive with a crushing victory at Glasgow University.

Emma Findlay scored 29 points for Kool Kats

The reigning Scottish Basketball League champions led 41-17 at half time and really cut loose in the final 
quarter, eventually cruising home 83-36. Captain Emma Findlay drained five three-pointers as part of a game-high 29 points, but with St Mirren and leaders Lady Rocks also winning at the weekend, a successful title defence is virtually impossible now for the Capital club.

Poor Polonia Phoenix would happily swap places with Kats, however, after a dispiriting 88-31 home loss to Glasgow Fever leaves them still waiting for their first win of the season. Phoenix have only two chances left to avoid an unwanted clean sweep of 16 league defeats.

In the men’s championship, City of Edinburgh Kings emulated Kool Kats’ victory at Glasgow University, albeit less convincingly. Kings were 14 points up by the end of the first quarter and maintained a 
similar buffer for the remainder of the contest as they wrapped up an 80-67 win. That keeps them in third spot behind last week’s Cup winners Falkirk Fury and champions-elect 
Dunfermline.

Boroughmuir Blaze and Glasgow Storm went toe-to-toe in a remarkable mid-table clash at The Crags which swung first one way and then the next. A Blaze side weakened by illness and injury quickly trailed by ten points but later led by the same margin before holding on in the final stages to limp home 79-71. Jordan Green top-scored with 14 points while Yannick Onifade added 13.

In other matches, Edinburgh Lions failed to halt Dunfermline Reign’s title charge as they went down 92-64 in Fife. Edinburgh University were chasing only their second win of the season at The Peak, but hosts Stirling Knights downed them 62-52.

Caledonia Pride head coach Bart Sengers was away on university business in Singapore when his team visited Durham Palatinates in the WBBL Trophy, and his assistant Donnie MacDonald witnessed a damaging defeat for the Edinburgh club. Pride outscored Durham in three of Sunday’s four quarters yet still contrived to lose 81-71 after a disastrous second period. The result cancelled out their excellent opening victory over Newcastle Eagles, and their future in the competition now depends on this weekend’s double-header with Durham and Newcastle.

Alix Henderson was Pride’s shining star on Sunday after contributing 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists.