After the end of the match, the players, exhausted and elated, gathered in the locker room. They had fought valiantly, dethroning the current league leaders to assume the throne. Almost every single one of them had played the entirety of the match, leaving them utterly exhausted.
Even so, despite the evident exhaustion, none complained about the difficulty of the match.
The air around the locker room was thick with the scent of sweat and the sound of the jubilant chatter. Everybody was talking about the match.
Then Coach Tatsuya entered the room, wearing a proud smile on his face.
"You did it," he said simply, his eyes shining with pride. "You played like champions."
The players roared in unison as they heard his praise, cheering on their effort. Indeed as mentioned by their coach, they had played like champions today. Especially in the game's final moments, the match's difficulty had soared to another level.