Parnu — BK Liepāja: 76:73, Latvia-Estonian League

Pärnu took on Liepāja in the Latvian-Estonian league on Friday evening, winning 76:73 in a game that went down to the wire. The hosts held on for a narrow victory after a match that never quite settled into a rhythm.

Both sides had been grinding through their campaigns, with Pärnu sitting eighth after 26 games and Liepāja eleventh. The home side carried 11 wins to 15 losses, while their visitors had managed just five victories all season. To be fair, neither team had much cushion when they met.

Liepāja's recent run had been brutal — they'd lost six straight before this, including a 69:92 defeat to Tindaschold on their previous outing. Pärnu had also stumbled recently, dropping 67:80 to Neftchi Baku on Wednesday. By then, both squads were weighing up what had gone wrong.

We'd backed the hosts at 55 per cent confidence before kick-off. And here's the thing — the prediction held. Pärnu had the deeper squad and the experience of playing at home, which made the difference when the game tightened.

The final scoreline tells you everything about a contest that stayed close throughout. Seventy-six to seventy-three is not a margin that suggests dominance, but it is enough to move Pärnu further clear of the relegation zone and leave Liepāja still searching for their seventh win.