ErmGroup Altotevere concluded its regular season in the Credem Banca Serie A3 championship (the final matchday, March 15, will be a bye week) with third place already secured in the White Group and a total of 36 points from 20 matches. Taking a look at the team’s progress, the most striking data is their distribution of points: 24 were earned in the first half of the season, thanks to eight consecutive full victories (a true “treasure” that made the difference and secured second place) after two initial defeats, and exactly half of that, 12, has been the haul from the second half of the season from January to today. Here too, there’s a distinction that becomes interesting when analyzing the numbers: seven of these 12 points, or more than half, were gained in the last three matches (three in Trebaseleghe in the only complete win in the return leg, two at home to Gabbiano Mantova, and two in San Donà di Piave), while in the previous seven matchdays the haul had been just five: one point at home to Sarroch, two against Mirandola, one in Acqui Terme, and another in San Giustino against Savigliano. In other words, it was a difficult month, but at the right time, Biffi and his teammates were able to bounce back and maintain the third-place finish (a historic achievement) they had fallen to following defeats against Belluno and Reggio Emilia. They did so early, without any further calculations in view of Sunday the 15th, which will see ErmGroup calmly looking forward to the game and more rested than the others when they travel to play the first leg of the playoffs on the 22nd, as they will be the only team in the category to miss two consecutive Sundays. Another notable observation: the points/game ratio, which in the playoffs will become the deciding factor in determining the pairings for the quarterfinals. ErmGroup’s 1.8 is a decisive factor if, on the final day of the Blue Group, the current third- and fourth-place teams, JV Gioia del Colle and Aurispa DFV Lecce, were to lose (regardless of the result) at the home of the two league leaders battling for first place and therefore the chance to face Reggio Emilia in the play-off that will determine direct access to A2.
