The Roarers didn't board a flight back to Iron City. No sense crisscrossing the country when their next battle was still out east. Fresh off their sixth straight win, a 122-99 thrashing of the Phantoms, the team was buzzing, but the road ahead was no joke. On Thursday, they'd face the Halveth Skyhawks, the eastern conference's second-ranked squad.
Ryan's mind drifted to Trey Yates, the Skyhawks' point guard, a sharpshooter known for his uncanny three-point range.
The guy treated logo threes like free throws.
Ryan could still picture the Rising Star Challenge, the very first play of the game.
Yates, barely across halfcourt, launched a shot without a flicker of doubt.
The ball carved a perfect arc, a meteor slicing the night, and splashed through the net with a whoosh that set the arena ablaze.
Ryan had been on the floor, staring in stunned disbelief.
——
Wednesday night. Halveth City.
