NCAAM teams
Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

LaMelo Ball drops 56 points as Big Ballers eliminated at Adidas Championships

Men's College Basketball

LAS VEGAS -- The Big Ballers' run in Las Vegas ended Saturday night, with LaMelo Ball scoring 56 points in a 116-95 loss to Team Lillard at the Adidas Summer Championships.

Ball scored 32 points after halftime and buried nine 3-pointers for the game.

Big Ballers finished 3-3 on the week, with Ball averaging 33.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 37.0 percent shooting heading into Saturday's action.

The numbers and results weren't the story, though. The Ball family and its Big Ballers AAU team were the main attraction in Las Vegas all week, with LaVar Ball coaching on the sideline, Lonzo Ball sitting courtside and LaMelo's scoring exploits on the court.

Thousands attended Wednesday night's showdown against elite recruit and dunking sensation Zion Williamson, with around 1,500 people getting turned away at the door and LeBron James being advised not to attend due to potential crowd-control issues.

And that was just the first night of the Balls' adventure in the desert.

On Thursday, LaVar did situps on the sideline in the middle of a game.

On Friday, LaVar threatened to pull his team off the court after receiving a technical foul, and the female referee who gave him the technical was then replaced midgame. Afterward, LaVar told ESPN of the referee: "She's not in shape" and "needs to stay in her lane."

LaVar engaged in a few disagreements with the officials Saturday, but nothing unusual occurred. He barely stood up during either of Saturday's two games and Friday night's game. The three officials took a photo with him after Saturday's late game, and he was complimentary of them.

"Y'all communicated, and I like that,'' Ball told an official after Saturday's game. "You just tech-ing and all that bulls---, foul, foul, foul. Nobody wants to see that.''

Saturday brought an end to the action, but not before LaMelo scored 85 points in two games and solidified his standing as the leading scorer in the event.

LaMelo also received a technical foul after getting tangled up with an opponent. At one point in the game, there was a scuffle between the two teams, but it ended quickly and LaMelo wasn't involved. He was at the rim practicing dunking during the pushing and shoving.

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