Young Knights fall at final hurdle against Madsons
There was heartbreak for Stirling Knights under-12 boys as they lost to Dundee Madsons in the final of the national basketball tournament at Perth College last weekend.
Wins over Glasgow Rocks, Grampian Flyers and Falkirk Fury meant that Knights and Madsons went into the final game for the gold medal.
Madsons proved too strong in the final but with six of the 11 players all eligible for U12 again next season the future looks bright for the young squad.
Knights chief and U12 coach Pete Duncan said:“It was a great day and our young team did very well.
“Madsons were great and we couldn’t stop their best player.
“Thanks to Basketball Scotland for a great set up at Perth College and to all the parents and supporters for their help.”
In the season-ending National League play-offs, Knights had five games over the course at the weekend, with mixed fortunes for both men and women.
Some high class basketball saw the U16 men cruise past Boroughmuir Blaze 85-67 on Saturday to set up a semi-final against West Lothian Wolves.
The league champions wasted no time in dominating a lacklustre Wolves team who offered little resistance in a one-sided fixture that ended 102-64 to the Knights to put them in the final on March 24 against City of Edinburgh Kings – the same day as the under-14 boys meet Grampian Flyers in the Scottish Cup Final. The U18 men also met West Lothian, this time in the quarter-final, and they also found the way fairly easy for the majority of the game to set up a semi-final against Glasgow Rens this weekend.
The final score was 89-84 to Stirling after a late run by Wolves reduced the deficit from 15 points.
Knights U16 girls had a tough ask against secondseeded Lady Rocks.
A few weeks ago they lost by 53 points to the Rocks, but a monumental effort by the players and young coach Alex Smith Taylor saw the girls come back from 23 points down to set up a nail-biting finish.
They were two points down going into the last minute but it wasn’t to be and the girls fell short, Rocks winning 69-64. The combined U18 women Knights/Fury/Central faced a good St Mirren team with a long history of success at this level. KFC never really got going and surrendered victory with a 71-43 scoreline.