Spire Institute moved to the semi-finals of The Grind Session World Championship tournament on Friday with a 98-55 win over Trinity International, their second win over Trinity this season.
Spire led just 36-31 after the first half but exploded for 62 points in the second half while holding Trinity International to just 24. As a team, Spire shot 47.8 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point territory. Trinity International shot just 33.3 percent from the field.
Spire forced Trinity into 28 turnovers while finishing with 14 steals. Trinity’s Daishen Nix, one of the top-ranked point guards in the 2020 class, was held to just 6-of-17 shooting for 14 points while committing nine turnovers.
While Ball did not lead the team in scoring, he finished with a stat-stuffing line of 19 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists. Ball shot 4-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from the arc but hit 9-of-10 from the line.
Rocket Watts was the one who caught fire for Spire, finishing with 33 points while connecting on eight of his 18 three-point attempts.
Spire advanced to Saturday’s semi-final to take on Our Savior Lutheran for a spot in the title game.
