Staff report
CHINA GROVE — One respected prep talent evaluator rates Carson junior Jacob Mills as the state’s best shooter.
If Mills is not the best, he’s at least in the conversation as the top marksman in NC’s Class of 2027. Mills opened the season with an efficient 27-point barrage against Piedmont — 4-for-7 from 3, 5-for-6 on 2s and 5-for-5 at the foul line.
Mills led Carson to a 61-48 win on Friday.
“Other than Jacob, we didn’t shoot well at all from 3,” Carson head coach Brian Perry said. “But we got enough stops and made enough buckets to recover from a slow start and get the win. We played hard, but emotions were running high on opening night. We were a little too jacked up early.”
Piedmont (0-2) has a good team, but lost to a Charlotte squad in its opener and was missing one of its better players.
“We were probably a little bit lucky to pull this one out,” Perry said. “I feel like our next game will be a lot better.”
Mills made two of his 3-pointers as the game turned around in the third quarter.
CP Perry had 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Cougars.
Will Hall, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Lake Norman, scored 10 in his first game for Carson. Corbin Krider, who transferred to Carson from East Rowan, didn’t score, but impacted the game with seven rebounds.
Drew Neve had six points and four assists.
Piedmont 17 14 7 10 — 48
Carson 9 15 17 20 — 61
PIEDMONT — Laszio 12, Church 8, Blackman 8, Ofori 7, Staton 5, Barkley 5, Covington 3,
CARSON — Mills 27, Perry 13, Hall 10, Neve 6, Walters 4, Martin 1.
