Basketball: Peregrines show mettle in Saints win

EAST LOTHIAN Peregrines provided the first shock of the new basketball season when they travelled West to the Lagoon Centre in Paisley last night to squeeze past St Mirren 84-82.

So often unable to finish the job last season after building early leads, Peregrines must have feared the worst when they let slip a 14-point first half lead to go into the last quarter tied. But this time they held their nerve with skipper Grant Gibson nailing five free throws in the final minute.

Gibson insisted, however, that the man who must take most credit for the win was their rookie John Brown, who scored 20 points: "John really was excellent," he said. "We're a stronger, more committed team this year and we were feeling good about our preparation after playing warm-up games against North of England sides Teesside Mohawks and Durham Wildcats," added Gibson.

Cameron McGrain was another on fire with his shooting for the East Lothian outfit with five three-pointers in his 15-point tally.