Arkansas signee Meleek Thomas' 28-point display fails to secure win over Eli Ellis' YNG Dreamerz

Arkansas signee Meleek Thomas had an impressive outing as his City Reapers faced Eli Ellis' YNG Dreamerz on Friday. Despite a 103-90 loss, Thomas scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Ellis led the Dreamerz with 26 points, nine assists and four rebounds. The Reapers dropped to 10-5 this season after the defeat.

With the win, the Dreamerz extended their winning streak to five games and improved to 13-1 this season. They will enjoy a break until Feb. 2, when they face the Diamond Doves. The City Reapers have a chance to bounce back immediately, taking on RWE on Saturday.

Thomas and Ellis have been balling this season, but Ellis has made a bigger impact. He is averaging 32.2 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds, while Thomas averages 27.2 ppg, 4.6 apg and 8.3 rpg.

Despite this, Thomas is rated higher overall. The 6-foot-3 guard is ranked No. 8 overall and No. 2 among shooting guards by On3, while Ellis is ranked 68th overall and 20th among shooting guards.

Meleek Thomas and City Reapers fail to back up their talk

Before the clash against the Dreamerz, Thomas said that the Reapers do not fear their opponent, who remains the No. 1 seed in the Overtime Elite. Following the 70-61 win over Jelly Fam on Monday, he said:

“It’s just a regular game for us. It’s another game, another matchup. We don’t really care. We are not reading jersey names. We just want to win the game regardless of who we play.

“Stay prepared. No moment is bigger than us. We’re not trying to lose more games, so that’s it.”

Meleek Thomas and Eli Ellis will continue their rivalry in college after signing with Southeastern Conference schools. Thomas will play for the Arkansas Razorbacks, while Ellis is set to join the South Carolina Gamecocks.