Inowroclaw — Starogard Gdanski: 85:80, 1 Liga

Inowrocław defeated Starogard Gdański 85:80 in the 1st league on Sunday afternoon. The hosts held on for a narrow victory against the higher-placed visitors. By then the table had shifted, if only marginally.

Starogard arrived in third position with twenty-one wins from thirty-two matches. Inowrocław sat in fourteenth with twelve victories and twenty losses. The gap between them on paper is substantial, though not insurmountable in a single game.

The result ended Starogard's momentum after a heavy defeat to ŁKS Łódź last month. They had also lost to Lancut at home the previous week. Inowrocław, meanwhile, bounced back from their loss to Polonia Warsaw the day before.

We had tipped the away side for victory, placing fifty-three per cent confidence on Starogard. The forecast was wrong. What changed the game isn't something you can quantify in a spreadsheet — the hosts went for the jugular when it mattered.

Both clubs carry zero points in the standings after thirty-two games, a peculiarity of the league's system. The important thing is that Inowrocław moved closer to safety while Starogard's lead in fourth place grew longer. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the standings are where you end up.