Thursday night at Iron Vault Arena, the Roarers finally shook off the sting of their 109–126 loss to the Nova City Starships. They clawed out a 99–93 victory over the Vellix City Phantoms, a gritty win that didn't dazzle but let the Iron City faithful exhale.
Ryan was the engine, as always, dropping 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds—another triple-double in a career stacked with them. Yet the win carried a weary edge. For the first time in nearly three months, the Roarers failed to crack 100 points.
Reporters summed it up simply: "They won, but the legs looked heavy." That captured the night perfectly.
Malik and Gibson, the team's two veterans, looked worn down—sluggish in their rotations, short on lift in their jumpers. Their bodies seemed to be sending the message loud and clear: the grind had caught up to them.
