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LaMelo Ball Scores 30 in Spire Institute's Win at The Skill Factory Tournament

Paul KasabianSenior ContributorNovember 25, 2018

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, BC Prienu Vytautas's LaMelo Ball is shown in action during the Big Baller Brand Challenge friendly tournament match against BC Zalgiris-2 in Prienai, Lithuania. LaMelo Ball, the brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, has been ejected from a game in Lithuania after striking an opponent. Ball clashed with Lithuanian player Mindaugas Susinskas during Monday's, Oct. 1, 2018, exhibition game between local club Dzukija and a touring team of United States players from the Junior Basketball Association established by the Ball brothers' father, LaVar Ball. (AP Photo/Liusjenas Kulbis, File)
Liusjenas Kulbis/Associated Press

LaMelo Ball posted a dominant 30-point outing on Saturday as Spire Institute defeated TSF Gold, 109-80, in The Skill Factory Holiday Invitational in Atlanta.

Overtime provided highlights on Ball's evening:

Overtime @overtime

LaMelo Ball just dropped 30 POINTS in Atlanta 🔥 @MELOD1P @ZO2_ @SPIRE_Institute @TheSkillFactory https://t.co/jIlBIop9J3

Ball's best moment was arguably a putback slam in the third quarter:

Overtime @overtime

LaMelo is SHOWING OUT and has 25 entering the 4th with Spire leading 84-59 🏆 @MELOD1P @SPIRE_Institute @TheSkillFactory https://t.co/kju5NrnoVl

Ball's performance capped a successful holiday weekend for him and his team. On Friday, Spire defeated Tennessee Prep, 97-81, in its first game at the tournament. Ball had 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting with nine assists and four rebounds.

Per Ben Axelrod of WKYC, the 17-year-old Ball is interested in playing in college basketball's top tier, with North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and Michigan State on his list.

However, Ball has an uphill battle to become eligible to play on the NCAA level, as he hired an agent and played eight professional basketball games for BC Prienai-Skycop, a Lithuanian team.

Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated did a thorough breakdown of the situation, noting that "pursuing NCAA basketball seems like an onerous path" given the eligibility challenge. As McCann noted, Ball can also look to sign a "select contract" with an NBA G League team.

Regardless of whether Ball plays college basketball, he's clearly showcased some skills over the last few days that could foreshadow a successful professional career.

Spire, which is located in Geneva, Ohio, will face Shipley out of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. ET, per MaxPreps.