Reign to face Kings in top-of-the-table clash

Today’s top-of-the table Scottish men’s basketball league game between Dunfermline Reign and Edinburgh Kings is set to go ahead at St Columba’s High School at 2.15pm after concerns about the availability of the venue were eased.

Reign will be champing at the bit to add to their eight-game unbeaten run after last week’s postponement of their home fixture v Stirling Knights due to problems with the baskets.

“The baskets have a temporary fix that will do the job for now,” said Reign’s assistant coach John Day yesterday.

Despite some unconvincing results recently, partly due to their being under strength, Kings have suffered only one defeat this season and do have game winners in their potential line-up including the 6ft 11in centre Ali MacKay and the former Dunfermline junior Calum Nicol.

Kings and St Mirren have both played nine, won eight, though Falkirk Fury, on three defeats, top the table by virtue of having played 11 games.

Arbroath’s Gareth Murray, meanwhile, will be licking his wounds along with the rest of the GB team after they went down to a disappointing 96-82 defeat at the hands of Austria in their opening men’s qualifier in Manchester.

Murray was given the thankless task of marking the giant Sylven Landesberg, who scored an amazing 40 points in the first half after which Austria led 60-42, and he went on to amass 49 points plus 10 rebounds.

Murray picked up three fouls in the first half and was forced to sit out most of the remainder of the game, scoring only six points.

GB face Cyprus on Monday night with victory essential if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Eurobasket finals.