Bande-Amir Stars defeated Pamir Stars 165-104 in the Kabul Premier League on Wednesday evening. The home side put together a comprehensive performance at their own court to move clear of their opponents in the standings.
And here's the thing about the table — it tells you everything you need to know about this fixture. Bande-Amir sit fifth on four points from five matches, while Pamir Stars languish in sixth place on two points. That gap between them widened considerably after this result.
The hosts have not been setting the world alight of late. Their most recent outing saw them lose 118-281 to Abasin Defenders, a scoreline that suggests they have work to do defensively. Before that they dropped a 204-207 contest to Kabul Knights Rider and lost 185-186 to Abasin Defenders in another tight affair.
Pamir Stars brought a different sort of inconsistency to the game. They had won 307-191 against Shamshad Eagles on August eighth before losing 190-191 to Kabul Zamalek two days later. By then they had beaten Bande-Amir 253-249 back in October, but this afternoon's performance offered little comfort for their supporters.
The final score leaves the table essentially unchanged in terms of positions, but the psychological advantage clearly belongs to the home side. Bande-Amir now have two points more than Pamir Stars with six matches remaining in the season. A win like this could be the turning point they needed.