Minyor beat Shumen 123 to 101 in the Bulgarian NBL on Saturday evening. The result was exactly what most people expected before the game started. We had called for a home win at 59 per cent confidence, and that prediction came true. And here's the thing — when you look at the records, it was always going to be one-sided.
Minyor sit seventh with fifteen wins and fifteen defeats after thirty games. Shumen are eleventh with only three victories from the same number of matches. To be fair, the gap in quality showed itself clearly from the opening tip-off.
The home side had mixed results in their previous outings. They lost both games against Balkan, losing 103-83 and 105-66. But they had beaten Shumen comfortably 113-96 back in April. That earlier victory gave a hint of what was to come.
Shumen's recent form has been difficult. They lost to Chernomorets 104-87 and to Balkan 84-65. Before that they had fallen to Spartak Pleven 102-55. Things came to a head against Minyor when they were pulled apart.
The margin of victory tells you everything about the match. Minyor were never really challenged. By then you could see the pattern forming — the home side controlling the tempo and the visitors chasing shadows.
This result keeps Minyor in the middle of the table while Shumen drift further down. The gap between them grows wider with each passing week.
