Even though the Roarers had just gone back-to-back against the Drayport Talons on Wednesday, there was no day off to catch their breath on Thursday.
Friday loomed large with a tough home game against the Vega Tigers, the top-ranked team in the West.
Ryan remembered the moment like it was yesterday—midcourt, lights blazing, sweat still dripping.
Colter Frye had walked up after the Rising Star Challenge, eyes burning despite the loss.
"Next time, Tigers versus Roarers—we settle this," he'd said, low and intense, like a vow carved into stone.
Ryan had grinned and pulled him into a brief embrace, the rivalry sealed right there.
He just didn't expect "next time" to come so soon.
At 10 a.m., the Roarers reported for practice—not a full-speed grind, but a light session followed by a structured scrimmage.
Unit 1, as always, featured the starters: Ryan, Darius, Kamara, Malik, and Gibson.
Coach Crawford called out the next five:
"Unit 2—Lin, Stanley, Sloan, Omar, DeShawn."
