On Friday, LaMelo Ball was faced with the daunting task of going up against the reigning NBL champions, the Perth Wildcats, with over 27 NBA scouts in attendance.
Luckily for Ball, he and the Illawarra Hawks were able to take care of business, beating the Wildcats 122-119 in overtime on the backs of Ball’s first NBL career double-double.
In 32:40 for the Hawks, Ball scored 19 points on an impressive 7-12 shooting from the field, including an equally impressive 4-6 from behind the 3-point line. The 6’8″ point guard also grabbed a game-high 13 points and dished out seven assists, one short of the game-high.
Veteran guard Todd Blanchfield was also stellar for the Hawks, scoring a team-high 23 points while going 0-4 on his 2-point attempts. That’s right: Blanchfield put up 23 points on seven made 3-pointers and two made free throws. Suffice to say, his stat line stood out in the box score.
Meanwhile, Bryce Cotton, a former NBA point guard, led all scorers with 27 points on a less efficient 2-8 from behind the arc.
Overall, it was an impressive outing for Ball, and one he’ll hope to build on Saturday, when the Hawks take on Melbourne United. The game will be available to stream on Facebook and Twitch.
You can watch Ball’s highlights from Friday via Facebook below:
