CENTERBURG, Ohio -- In the center point of Ohio, Centerburg senior Carter Jones was the center of attention on Friday against KMAC rival Northmor. Needing just four points to hit 1,000 career points, Jones waisted no time reaching that milestone, scoring the first two buckets of the game.

Jones was the key to an early surge that helped Centerburg (1-0) get out in front of Northmor (0-3), the team they split the league title with a season ago, and roll to a 53-38 victory.

The Mount Vernon Nazarene commit showed why he has been named league player of the year for back-to-back seasons, dominating on both ends of the floor. The source of several steals, tough rebounds and savvy assists, Jones' presence was far too much for Northmor to handle.

Doing it all on Friday, Jones finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a very strong performance (stats from Michael Rich of the Mount Vernon News). 

Centerburg showed the ability to knock down the three ball in bunches, as junior guards Landon Griffith and Alex Johnson had strong complimentary performances alongside Jones. The Trojans are tough, well coached and play excellent defense, three things that were big reasons for Friday's 15-point victory.

On a night where offense was hard to come by for the Golden Knights, senior guard Graesin Cass was a bright spot, scoring 20 of the team's 38 points.

With its first test completed in the KMAC, Centerburg will look to stay hot when the Trojans travel to Danville next Tuesday.

For Northmor, the Golden Knights fall to 0-3 on the season and will look to rebound next Tuesday at home against Mount Gilead.

Carter Jones (6'5 WF / Centerburg / 2021): Physical beast who is like the Ben Simmons of the KMAC. Jones was everywhere on the defensive end, coming up with off ball steals, tight ball pressure and terrific help side defense. Offensively, Jones was able to use his strong frame to get to the rim where he finished inconsistently despite a fast start. The 6-foot-5 wing knocked down a three early on, in which he was fouled, which was his only three of the game. As back-to-back KMAC player of the year, Jones is a major problem for anyone in the league, as no team has a matchup who can match his size, strength and athleticism. A high IQ player who will find the majority of his value at the next level as a utility player that checks many boxes on the defensive end of the floor, Jones is one of the best small school basketball players in Central Ohio and worth the price of admission in the KMAC. Mount Vernon Nazarene head coach Jared Ronai did it again, nabbing one of the best all-around players in Central Ohio for the NAIA level.

Graesin Cass (6'0 PG / Northmor / 2021): Cass was the literal only source of offense for Northmor on Friday, scoring and assisting on almost every Golden Knight point. While his offense came a bit slowly early on, Cass began to heat up when his team needed him to score, as he was tough to stop on the drive and showed great consistency as a three-point shooter off the dribble. Cass handled Centerburg's full court trap defense to perfection, showing great vision and finding open teammates down the floor with tight, zip passing. On a team with limited offensive firepower, Cass will be relied upon heavily this season. We look forward to tracking his progression this year, as he has college-level ability at the lead guard spot. Cass is a good get for small college programs looking for high IQ, talented lead guards who are under recruited. 

Colton Martin (6'2 PG / Centerburg / 2023): While he came off the bench on Friday, we liked the flashes that Martin showed at the lead guard spot. With great size at 6-foot-2 and a long frame that suggests that Martin may not be done growing, the sophomore showed some ability in limited time that really impressed us. With a good handle, good vision and the ability to keep defenders off balance, Martin has some wiggle to his game, which could mean good things going forward. On a team with primarily upperclassmen, Martin will rightfully have to wait his turn, however, this is a good young guard to remember in the KMAC.