City of Edinburgh Kings Junior Men

Match Reports

Saturday 13th Jan 07 4:20 pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Arbroath Musketeers
Arbroath Sports Centre

The boys started the 2nd round of play off games with a trip to Arbroath. This game was critical for Arbroath, as a loss would effectively rule them out of the title race.

1st Quarter
With the above in mind, Arbroath came out fired up and was a horror show for us as we repeatedly turned over the ball, racing to a 25 – 8 lead at the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter
Having explained to the players that they shouldn’t panic and that we slowly cut back the lead in small bite size chunks. This was exactly what we did, getting some good stops and scoring some great shots wining the quarter 20 – 11 for a half-time score of 28 – 36

3rd Quarter
Arbroath stemmed the tide a little in the third however, they were beginning to get into foul trouble which would ultimately be their downfall.

4th Quarter
This Kings team doesn’t lie down easily and everybody raised the intensity of their games at both ends of the floor, making steals, rebounding and hitting three pointers. As Arbroath began to have key players foul out, we punished them from the free throw line, winning the quarter 26 – 14 and the game 72 – 67.

Summary
Another fantastic Gold league game, with both teams slugging it out in a dramatic 40 minutes of basketball.

Top Scorers: Craig Reilly 22, Rory Connolly 19, Eoghan Dover 15

Saturday 6th Jan 07 2pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Falkirk Fury
Mariner Sports Centre

After the excesses of holidays, it was straight back to league business with a tough away trip to Falkirk, which finished off the 1st round of the gold league games

1st Quarter
The game started slowly with both teams trading baskets as they tried to get into the game. Score 14-13

2nd Quarter
As both teams began to get their offences into gear, it was Kings who raised their defence ending the quarter 4 points up (Q2 21 – 18) HT: 35 -31

3rd Quarter
This was the quarter which turned the game with our defence further turning the screw stopping Falkirk’s offence and our offence kicking in hitting three 3pointers without reply and pulling away to 13 pt Lead. (Q3 23 -14) Score 58 - 45

4th Quarter
The final quarter was an anti-climax, as again both teams traded baskets and Falkirk winning the quarter 15-18. Final Score 73 - 63.

Summary
Everybody stepped up to play and stuck to our game plan. Importantly, our free throw shooting was pretty good. 1st half - 9/12 (75%);2nd half - 7/12 (58%) for a game total of 66%

Top Scorers: Lee Reilly 26, Rory Connolly 19, Vinnie Stirrat 9

Saturday 16th December 17:00 pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v St Mirren
Portobello High School

This was a must win game, as a loss would mean we could not win the league without somebody else's assistance and just like our first encounter at Linwood it would be characterised as dramatic!!!

1st Quarter
The first quarter was tight with scoring spread across both teams, with our boys starting strongly and taking a five point lead early on. However, St Mirren clawed themselves back into the game winning the quarter 17-18.

2nd Quarter
With Porty beginning to fill up, the game was providing excellent entertainment with the teams testing each other at both ends of the floor and as the defences of both teams kicked in, this was the lowest scoring quarter 10 – 12; for a half time score of 27 - 30.

3rd Quarter
With game delicately poised, the boys played some tough defence and great offence turning a 3 point deficit into a 3 point lead for a 17 – 11 quarter score (44 -41)

4th Quarter
The final quarter offered terrific drama, with St Mirren fighting to get themselves back into the game and preserve their unbeaten run. With the lead changing hands several times, this quarter had everything – a 4pt play, key free throws missed with seconds to go and a 3pt buzzer beater to tie the score and take us into overtime. Quarter Score 15 – 18. Score at the end of the 4th quarter 59 - 59

Overtime
With momentum on their side, St Mirren raced to a five point lead . However, some great defensive stops, big rebounds, an even bigger 3 and 4 from 4 free throws, saw us victorious in the quarter 11- 6 and 70 – 65 final score.

Summary
A great win for the team, providing us great impetus for the remaining play-off games Great entertainment for the full house at Porty as part of another Saturday Basketball fest.

Top Scorers: Lee Reilly 20, Eoghan Dover 18, Craig Reilly 12, Vinnie Stirrat 12

Saturday 9th December 15:00
Edinburgh Kings Junior v Arbroath
Portobello High School

After two weeks off it was back to business with the first of our play-off games against Arbroath, who we had narrowly (by five) beaten in the first round of games.

1st Quarter
An excellent 1st quarter saw both teams scoring freely with our inside game working particularly well, resulting in us leading at the end of the quarter 23 - 18.

2nd Quarter
As our back court began to pick up their scoring and everybody raising the intensity on defence, Arbroath were held to 9 in the quarter against our 18. Half time score 41 - 27.

3rd Quarter
This was a more even with both teams trading baskets with Arbroath winning the quarter 18 – 19 (59 – 46)

4th Quarter
The final quarter was pretty much the same, with the boys mentally sitching off and the quarter tied 18 – 18 for a full time score of 77 - 64

Top Scorers: Rory Connolly 22, Vinnie Stirrat 17, Eoghan Dover 13, Lee Reilly 13

Looking ahead to the 2nd half of the season, 4 points separated us from an unbeaten first half of the season with 1 point losses to St Mirren & Falkirk. However, with everybody back from injury, we approach the post split games with great anticipation and relish.

Saturday 18th November 17:30 pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Troon Tornadoes
Marr College, Troon

This was the final game of the first half of the season, before the league splits into Gold (top four) and Silver (bottom six) groups. As a consequence, it was vital to win to ensure we did not lose any further ground on St Mirren. For Troon, this was MUST WIN game, as defeat would end any chance of a top four finish.

1st Quarter
Could be characterised as Good Defence - Poor Offence, with our good friends - missed free throws and lay ups - keeping the score close at 16 - 13.

2nd Quarter
More of the same with poor decision making on offence and turnovers costing us dearly. However, all nine players on the bench got in and contributed in defence winning the quarter 20-18 for a half time score of 36 - 31.

3rd Quarter
Our half time talk focused on the importance of the game and our need to be mentally tough, however, we scraped through th quarter winning it 20 - 17 for a 56 - 48 3rd quarter lead.

4th Quarter
Eventually things began to take shape in the 4th quarter, as patience and some inside baskets paid dividends as we started to pull away. Foul trouble started to impact Troon and we were able to close out the quarter 32 - 13 for a final score of 79 - 61.

Summary
Whilst not pretty, this was actually good defensive team performance with everybody making a significant contribution.

Top Scorers: Rory Connolly 20, Lee Reilly 16, Vinnie Stirrat 13

Saturday 11th November, 15:00
Edinburgh Kings Junior v Highland
Portobello High School

After last weeks tough 1pt loss against Falkirk, this was opportunity to get back to winning ways and get playing time for everybody.

1st Quarter
With Highland only able to bring 6 players down from Inverness, This was always going to be a tough game for them. Our boys started well, scoring freely and playing some defence, leading at the end of the quarter 25 - 6.

2nd Quarter
However, all the good work was undone with abysmal displays at both ends of the floor. Missed lay-ups, poor shot selection and poor defence resulted in a 2nd quarter loss 12 - 13 (which Highland deserved) for a half time score of 37 - 19.

3rd Quarter
Normal service was resumed with better defence holding Highland to just 4 points.

4th Quarter
With everybody getting on to the floor, we closed out the quarter winning 25 - 15 for a final score of 81 - 38.

Top Scorers: Chris Collins 22, Rory Connolly 16, Duncan Peacock 14

Saturday 4th November, 17:00
Edinburgh Kings Junior v Falkirk Fury
Portobello High School

Looking to get back to winning ways, Falkirk came ready to play in what was a fantastic game if you were an observer. However, if you were a home supporter, things were not so great as missed Free Throws cost us the game by 1pt.

1st Quarter
Both of the teams came out of the blocks quickly at both ends of the floor for a 1st quarter sore of 13-11.

2nd Quarter
Whilst the game was always going to be tight, 5 missed free throws (out of a total of 12 in the game), during the quarter, set the pattern with the ˝ time score 22 - 25.

3rd Quarter
The boys came right back into the game in the 3rd winning the quarter and making he score tied going into the 4th.

4th Quarter
As tiredness and fouls began to to have an affect, this was the highest scoring quarter with 3's being traded at both ends. Unfortunately, more missed Free Throws and not being able to get a shot off on our last possession meant a 4th quarter loss 20 - 21 and a final score of 57 - 58.

Summary
As stated above this was a great game where both teams played well, however, it was a tough loss but with key players still missing we look forward to the next seris of games against Falkirk.

Top Scorers: Lee Reilly 17, Craig Reilly 15, Rory Connolly 14

Saturday 28th Oct 18:20 pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Arbroath Musketeers
Arbroath Sports Centre

After a tight win against Falkirk last week, Arbroath came into this game full of confidence and a big crowd had high expectations. And as at St Mirren three weeks ago, they were not let down - by both sides - in what was again a great game that went right to the last few minutes.

1st Quarter
Arbroath started off quickest taking a 10- 2 lead after four minutes, with our boys not taking opportunities presented. However, some tough defence stopped Arbroath whilst we slowly got ourselves into the game finishing the quarter strongly. Score 18 - 15

2nd Quarter
The second quarter was much like the first - tight. However, not doing what we are good at, controlled patient basketball, enabled Arbroath to win their only quarter of the game 16 - 10. One of the key themes of the game and one which would come back to haunt Arbroath, was fouls, with a number of their key players picking up their 3rd & 4th fouls in this quarter. HT 28 - 31

3rd Quarter
At the start of the 3rd we regained control of the game and whilst baskets were being traded at both ends, we won the quarter 18 - 14, taking a 1 point lead into the final quarter. Score at end of the 3rd 46 - 45

4th Quarter
The final quarter was a tight affair but the foul count began to have its effect, as in the last five minutes with a number of their key players sitting on the bench, we were able to take advantage and score some easy inside baskets to win the quarter 15 - 11 and the game 61 - 56

Summary
When we play controlled patient basketball we get baskets and control the tempo of the game we do well. When we don’t - we don’t! A key factor in this game was free throws and unlike the St Mirren game, we made a high percentage and resulted in the win.

Top Scorers: Craig Reilly 14, Lee Reilly 15, Eoghan Dover 13

Saturday 7th Oct 1:00pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Dunfermline Reign
Portobello High School

After a tough 1 point loss last night, this was great opportunity to lift the player’s spirits.

1st Quarter
The boys started out slowly, perhaps suffering from the previous nights exertions. However, Reign had turned up to play and the score at the end of the quarter was 28 - 15.

2nd Quarter
Play picked up in the second half with everybody getting in and contributing. However, defence was poor and needed to be picked up

3rd Quarter
After a cosy chat at half-time, the boys came out and picked up the game playing better defence.

4th Quarter
The game was over and everybody got in with everybody scoring.

Final Score: Kings 97 - 47 Dunfermline Reign

Top Scorers
Steven Dickson 20
Craig Reilly 14
Rory Connolly 14

Saturday 6th Oct 7:50pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v St Mirren
Linwood Sports Centre

After a huge win against Falkirk, St Mirren came into this game full of confidence and a capacity crowd had high expectations. They were not let down - by both sides - in what was a great game that went right to the last few seconds.

1st Quarter
Both teams set up in zones defences knowing that each had players that were great one-on-one. In particular, our principal tenets for the game were to stop their fast breaks and give them nothing inside - both of which we achieved. Score 16 - 17

2nd Quarter
The second quarter was much like the first - tight, with both teams bringing players off the bench to contribute to the game. With crowd quietened down - the big win they were expecting not happening - both teams began to play hard with St Mirren edging the quarter by a point again 19 - 20. HT 35 - 37

3rd Quarter
At the start of the 3rd Saints looked like they might pull away, at one point taking a ten point lead, however, the players chastened by a time out, fought back and ended the quarter still only two points down 56 - 58

4th Quarter
The final quarter was a cracker with the boys edging ahead for the first time in the game with a minute and 2 seconds left to play. However, as both teams trading 3 pointers in the last minute, it was free throws which decided the game. St Mirren hit 4 from 4 and the Kings 0 from 2 ( we missed a total of 12 throughout the game), in the last minute. Whilst we won the quarter by a point (16 - 15), the game was lost 72 - 73

Summary
This was a great game for spectators, players and coaches alike, played in a great spirit with some tough defence and fantastic offence.

However, a lack of control at key points during the game and 12 missed free throws cost us dearly. However, as a stake in the ground for the rest of the season it was very important and whilst obviously disappointed, everybody is now looking forward to the return match at Portobello.

I would like to say that, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, the highly partisan Saints crowd were great and though obviously supporting their own team, the atmosphere within Linwood was fantastic providing an enjoyable (though disappointing for us) evening for all there.

Final Score: Kings 72 - 73 St Mirren

Top Scorers
Lee Reilly 20
Eoghan Dover 17
Declan Slaven 11

Saturday 30th Sept 1pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Glasgow Rens
Portobello High School

Rens provided the toughest test of the season so far and the boys proved up to the task. Two great sessions this week prepared the boys well and a pre-game 'exam' got the team focused.

1st Quarter
The boys got off to a great start with full court pressure and stifling ˝ court defence restricting Glasgow’s main threat Johnny Petit. However, Glasgow hung in and finished the quarter strongly tying the score at 17 - 17.

2nd Quarter
The 2nd quarter was similar to the first with both teams playing tough, however, the basket seemed to be covered with cling film as we couldn't buy a basket - or so it appeared - and the half finished with Glasgow leading 26 - 31.

3rd Quarter
After a constructive half-time 'chat' the boys continued to play hard particularly on Defence restricting Glasgow to just 6 point sand totally closing down Pettit and finished 40 - 37.

4th Quarter
More of the same - which was fantastic defence - and with Johnny Pettit fouling out, for the first time in the game we were getting the ball inside and scoring.

Summary
This was a great game for spectators, players and coaches alike, played in a great spirit with some tough defence and fantastic offence.

As ever in these reports, it is impossible to highlight any individual players, however, everybody who played today made great contribution to the win. Also, whilst frustrating for those who didn’t hit the floor, this was a hugely important game in ensuring that we are in the top 4 for the ˝ way split.

Final Score: Kings 63 - 52 Glasgow Rens

Top Scorers
Steven Dickson 20
Lee Reilly 17
Scott Lindsay 10

Saturday 23rd Sept 2:20pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Grampian Flyers Juniors
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

The second game of the season proved to be a real Jekyll & Hyde affair. The first half was horrible and defied description. Perhaps it was the long journey, whatever it was the Flyers boys were clearly more up for the game than us.

1st Quarter
Least said soonest mended!!! The word ‘missed’ best describes the 1st quarter – missed lay ups, missed free throws, missed passes, missed defensive assignments, just missed..... Score at the end of the quarter 18 – 15 to Kings

2nd Quarter
A better defensive effort slowed down the Flyers scoring, but not firing on all cylinders was how this quarter could be categorised. Half time score 36 - 23

3rd Quarter
After a half-time chat, where hairdryers were definitely left in their drawers (no Alex Ferguson’s here), the boys began to play as they can, with Michael Murray playing some tough defence on Flyers #11. Our offence also began to kick into gear with some great baskets off set plays and nice fast breaks.

4th Quarter
With everybody now having got in, with the play a little more free flowing play and a couple of big three’s from Craig Reilly and Eoghan Dover, the game was pretty much over.

Summary
A win is a win but we need to improve significantly over the next few weeks.

Final Score: Kings 84 - 39 Grampian Flyers

Top Scorers
Craig Reilly 26
Lee Reilly 18
Steven Dickson 17

Note:A quick note to thank Aberdeen for their hospitality and the spirit in which the game was played

Saturday 16th Sept 3pm
Edinburgh Kings Juniors v Perth Phoenix Juniors
Portobello High School

This was the first game of the new season bringing together Juniors from last season and a large number of last season’s double winning cadets.

Pre-season training has gone well, though injuries to a number of players has meant we haven’t been able to put everything into the sessions we would like.

As a consequence, the team to face Perth included a number of Cadet players.

1st Quarter
The boys got off to a great start with full court pressure restricting Perth’s to 2 points during the first 5 minutes of the quarter. In addition, some great fast break passing and assists resulted in a 31 – 9 score at the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter
Whilst the defensive pressure was maintained our concentration on offence lessened and a number of easy shots and lay ups were missed. However, we were able to get everybody onto the floor during the first half. Half time score 46 – 11.

3rd Quarter
The players became a little complacent, lazy, easing off in defence and not concentrating on offence. We will have to work on our patience, timing and spacing against zone defence if we want to be successful this season.

4th Quarter
This was similar to the third and credit has to be given to the Perth players, in their first season moving up to Junior from Cadet, for continuing to play hard and were rewarded with their highest scoring quarter (14).

Final Score: Kings 83 - 37 Perth

Summary
A good win as the players learn to gel as a unit and understand their roles within the team, with a number of things needing to be worked on for our next game.

Top Scorers
Lee Reilly 25
Steven Dickson 16
Eoghan Dover 14
Scott Lindsay 12