Yeben Lisan did not try to persuade him any further. He simply patted Sun Zhongkuan lightly on the back, signaling for him to return to the locker room first.
The other Mingpeng Industrial players still had their heads bowed, a gloomy atmosphere hanging over them. Nobody spoke. They simply followed the two into the players' tunnel, one after another.
The area fell quiet in an instant, leaving only the sound of heavy footsteps.
Over on the other side, the atmosphere on Ryonan's bench was completely different from the gloom surrounding Meipeng Industrial. Everyone there seemed relaxed and at ease.
As the players came off the court, there was no wild excitement on their faces over having tied the score. Instead, they looked as composed as if they had just finished a routine practice game, as though coming back from a deficit to tie the game was perfectly normal for them.
Taoka Moichi walked up to greet Chi Tong and the others, nodding in satisfaction. He could not hide the smile tugging at his lips, and his voice was full of approval. "Well played. Good work, everyone."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Chi Tong, the admiration in his eyes impossible to conceal.
Yueye Hongming fanned himself with a towel and said with a smile, "I thought the first half was going to end just like that. Thank goodness Captain Chi Tong reacted so quickly and stole the ball at the last second. Otherwise, they would've gone into halftime with the upper hand."
Wearing his trademark laid-back smile, Sendoh chimed in. "Good thing Fukuda caught Chi Tong's pass in time. What made you charge ahead on your own then?"
Fukuda Kicchou was wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel. At Sendoh's words, his hand paused, and he lowered