Litoměřice defeated Sokol Prague 93:82 in the 1st League on Friday evening, extending their push toward the top of the table. The away side finished with eleven wins from eighteen matches, while the hosts remain ninth with six victories after eighteen games. By then, the gaps between positions had already begun to matter more than the occasional result.
Nothing in the recent form suggested a different outcome, not that anyone expected one. Sokol Prague had beaten Academia Čechie 77:73 and Slavia Prague Tigers 88:76 in their last two fixtures, while Litoměřice had fallen to Slavia Prague Tigers 80:96 and Jindřichův Hradec 70:76. And here's the thing, the last meetings between these two sides didn't carry the weight of what followed.
The visitors held their nerve when it counted, something that showed through the final scoreline. Sokol Prague's recent results had been mixed — a heavy defeat to USK Prague B, a win against Zabrovsky, and two convincing victories over Karviná. Litoměřice, meanwhile, had struggled against Zlín three times in March, losing 64:75, 62:88 and 76:89 in succession.
Our prediction before the game backed the home side at 59% confidence. It didn't come to pass, and the match went differently from what the numbers suggested. To be fair, basketball doesn't always follow the pattern of possession or recent form, especially when one side refuses to fold.
The result leaves Litoměřice in third place with seven defeats, while Sokol Prague sit twelve losses deep. The gap in the table remains the same — two points separate them from promotion contention either way. By then, the season had already begun to settle into its rhythm.
