Ballislife Proving Grounds LIVE Log: Updates, Results (May 23)!

The top 4 performers from North Carolina will be selected as the North Carolina team for Battlegrounds. The second and third days of the event (May 24, May 26) will be the start of the Battlegrounds, as the cities compete against each other in 1v1s and 3v3s.

 

 

 

Lamar Peters (BIL) def. JT Terrell (Hoop State) 30-19

This was one of the most entertaining yet shocking matchups of the night. LP just got off the plane, but in fact, maybe the turbulence gave him a boost. Lamar Peters fell short at Judgement Day, and was crowned the winner over JT Terrell in the most LP fashion with “Me/Kyrie/MJ” on the back of his jersey.

“Dance with the best of them.”

It was a tumultuous beginning for LP. He had a slow start, and the threes weren’t falling. Mixtape legend JT Terrell got out in front with a long three, and the two established that the 3-pointer would define this game.

It was strictly business for both as the score was tied 6-6. That was until JT hit back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 12-9. At one point, LP was leaving him open, and Terrill commanded a 16-9 halftime lead after a 9-0 run.

The energy shifted after the half, and LP made the adjustments necessary to go on that run. Down 19-12, LP went on a tear, winning the game and finishing on a 13-0 run. The dominance began with a defensive stop on the perimeter, leading to LP’s deep three on the wing.

Again, LP ripped another three. He’s known as “Parking Lot Peters” for a reason—those back-to-back threes not only put LP back in the game, but gave him the confidence to finish out strong. It was downhill for JT from here (no pun intended), as LP hit him with the hezi move, followed by another triple that extended the lead for Peters. It was a quick matchup and shows how hoops can be a game of runs, especially in the 1v1 space.

Up 26-19, LP never let JT score again as he finished out the matchup with a downhill reverse lay and called game in the most LP fashion ever: an above-the-break deep three. Peters not only rebounds from his last loss to Zae, but also reminds the world why he’s one of the best 3-point shooters. As the smaller player in the matchup, Peters gets himself back in the win column. He was originally favored on Kalshi, 52% to 48%.

After the matchup, Peters praised Terrell, particularly his high-arch shot as a shooter. But make no mistake, LP called out the defense.

“Stop being lazy, bro. Get up and guard….I knew I had to go out here and still show them I’m Lamar. I’m still one of the top guys, too.”

Nasir Core (BIL) def. Justin Wright (Hoop State) 30-23

Nasir Core is still undisputed, but North Carolina’s own Justin Wright gave him all he could handle in a chippy, hard-fought battle that saw both players leave with legitimate battle wounds. We knew Justin Wright would need to get off to a fast start if he wanted to end Nas’ storied win streak in the 1 v. 1 space, and the former collegiate standout did exactly that. He began the game on a 9-2 run, punctuated by two deep 3-pointers that proved he was going to be a problem. 

Nas managed to shake back and regain a 13-12 lead, taking a 16-13 lead to halftime after answering a basket from Wright with another 3-pointer. Core injured his hamstring shortly after halftime, and it affected him throughout the rest of the match, but it was also around that point that Wright’s elbow began to visibly swell and affect his own performance. 

With his back on the ropes down 27-16 and his elbow clearly causing him discomfort, Wright managed to go on a 6-0 run that pulled him back within four points at 27-23 and once again put Nas’ win streak in legit jeopardy. Wright held Nas scoreless for what had to have been a half hour in real time with aggressive defense, but he was unable to bring himself back before Nas finally ended the game with a layup that finalized the score at 30-23. 

Despite the fact that the two were beating each other up and even got in each other’s faces, Nas showed respect for his opponent after the loss and acknowledged that he got more than he expected.

“Fresh off my event yesterday, off the flight this morning,” Core said. “I pulled my hamstring, but he got hurt too. We were both playing bruised. He’s a hell of a player; he didn’t score 2,000 points in college for nothing. He put the ball in the basket, and he guarded a lot better than I thought. It’s just a hard-fought W. I’m gonna go back to the lab and fix some things that I see, but I’m keeping the streak alive.

Tag Team 1v.1: Hoop State (Rob &Jomaru) def BIL (Bijan & SK) 42-30

Hoop State is on the board! Rob Colon and Jomaru Brown proved to be too much for Bijan and SK in the tag team 1 v. 1 match, in large part because SK just couldn’t get heated up. Jomaru got things started on the right foot for him and Rob, and Rob took over to finish the job, overcoming a spotty shooting performance of his own by living up to his “Thanos” nickname with several unstoppable drives to the rim.

Despite the fact that SK struggled, the performance Bijan put on for Ballislife was incredible, despite the loss. Bijan nearly overcame Rob and Jomaru, two legit stars in the space, on his own, and still managed to hold his own after twisting his ankle mid-game. The possessions between Bijan and Rob were highly competitive and brought a potential 1 v. 1 matchup between the pair to the forefront. 

“I know everybody wants to see me vs. Bijan,” Colon said. “I feel like that would be a good game because we’re both competitive. That’s my brodie, of course, we get on the court and talk sh-t to each other, but it is what it is. It feels good to be back though, this was my return game but I didn’t leave sh-t.”

Scar (Ballislife) def. Reese (Hoop State) 30-28

Classic alert! Trailing 16-9 right after halftime, Scar ripped off a 9-2 run that turned the game around and gave him momentum against a crowd that was highly partisan in Reese’s favor. Reese was able to recover and had Scar on the ropes again, up 26-24, but Scar went on another 5-0 run to take a 29-24 lead that put him on the verge of securing victory. 

Reese responded with four straight points of his own to make it 29-28 in crunch time, but an untimely foul sent Scar to the line for the game-sealing free throws. There were several points in the game where it looked like Reese was going to get Hoop State their first W of the day, but Scar’s ability to get by Reese and finish at the rim with contact kept him afloat. 

“I’ve been confident in my work in the gym,” Scar said. “As ya’ll can see, I got great defense. The ball was slipping out of my hand, I swear, the shots were falling though. We got the W, let’s go home.”

Uncle Skoob (Ballislife) def. DPitts (Hoop State) 30-25

Uncle Skoob has become known for his signature comebacks throughout his time in the 1 v. 1 scene, and he added another one to his collection against DPitts in a matchup where there was legitimate bad blood. DPitts got out to an early 14-2 lead before Skoob had a brief answer,  but Skoob still trailed 16-8 at halftime, and it looked like he was in a rough spot. 

After the break, it’s safe to say Skoob flipped a switch. He leaned into his strength advantage, and his jumpshot started falling automatically, allowing him to open the half on a 15-0 run that gave him a 23-18 lead and flipped the game on its head. DPitts didn’t go down easy, and the pair were in each other’s grills for the remainder of the game, but Skoob secured the victory with an unreal turnaround 3-pointer that finalized the score at 30-25.

FOMBY (Ballislife) def DJO (Hoop State) 25-15 *injury* 

Nobody wanted to see this one end the way it did, but injuries are a part of basketball, and unfortunately, DJO’s hamstring just didn’t cooperate. After looking like his vintage self in the first half, en route to running up a 15-4 lead at halftime, DJO pulled his hamstring at the start of the second half, and it was pretty much a wrap from that point.

FOMBY immediately ran off a 21-0 run, highlighted by a stretch of five consecutive 3-pointers that had the gym about to set fire. FOMBY was actually the one who gave DJO mercy at the end, saying he didn’t want to beat an injured opponent in that way and that the pair would run it back in North Carolina when DJO is healthy.

“It was two dogs competing,” FOMBY said. “What ya’ll don’t know is that me and DJO are actually cool. It’s bigger than basketball, I want to compete on a high level. I respect him as a man and a basketball player, and we’re going to see each other again. I don’t count that.”

2 v. 2: BIL (Zae & Bruce/Jamil) def. Hoop State (Tevin & Chris) 41-20

This was originally supposed to be just Zae and Bruce vs. Tevin Mack and Chris Martin, but Bruce got hurt after his team got out to an 8-0 lead and was unable to continue. It took a few minutes to find a replacement, Jamil Mingo, and he put on a performance that may have made him the star of the day at Proving Grounds.

Hoop State made a brief comeback while Jamil was getting warmed up, but once he got in rhythm, it was lights out. He completely changed the energy of the game by dominating with the downhill pick and roll and doing so while talking a whole bunch of trash. Oh, and his halftime interview was a classic, but you’re gonna have to go to the stream to see that one. 

Left Hand Dom (Ballislife) def. Crime (Hoop State) 30-27

Left Hand Dom and Crime just put on a small guard showcase for the ages! It looked like Dom was going to make quick work of this matchup after he took a 13-2 lead out of the gates, but Crime quickly shook back with a 9-0 run to cut Dom’s lead to 13-11. Dom extended that lead to 16-11 at halftime and started the second half on a 6-0 run to pull ahead by double-digits once again at 22-11. 

In true Crime fashion, the hometown star pulled right back with a 12-0 run that gave him his first lead of the day at 23-22. After Left Hand Dom regained a 28-24 lead to push himself to the brink of victory, Crime cut the lead back down to one with a basket and the foul from beyond the arc, but missed the game-tying free throw before Dom ended it on his next possession. 

“I got nothing bad to say about Crime, man,” Left Hand Dom said. “He played hard. He’s one of those guys. I hope he can come back and keep joining us. I just thugged it out and pulled it out. We all knew he had the crowd behind him, it gave him some energy it felt like. It’s a game of runs. He had his runs, I had my runs. I just feel like I’ve been here a little longer.”

Sim (Ballislife) def. Patt (Hoop State) 31-25

Ballislife goes up on Hoop State to start the day. Patt came into Sim’s den and put up a hard fight, but it just wasn’t enough. The pair traded baskets throughout the first half before Sim brought a 15-13 advantage into the break. Sim opened the second half on an 8-3 run to push that advantage to 23-16, although Patt eventually drew back within three points to make the score 25-22 before Sim pulled away for good. 

“It feels good, man,” Sim said. “First of all, shoutout to God. Shoutout to Toronto, my people back home in Canada. And shoutout to Patt man, he was a tough opponent. Great bump, but welcome to The Den, though. Another body in The Den, let’s do it. I want all the smoke, I’m available. Left Hand Dom, anybody, I’m with it.”