DANVILLE — As important as four first-quarter three-pointers were in Champaign Central opening a quick 21-6 lead Friday night, the key to its basketball victory was elsewhere.

In addition to the hot shooting of Clayton Jones and Corvon Butler (two threes each in the first period), it was what Central did with the shots it missed that mattered most.

The Maroons gathered in the rebounds and scored.

Of the first 17 Central baskets — a stretch that covered all but the final three minutes of the third period — six of the baskets were on putbacks as the Maroons topped Danville 72-55 in a Big 12 Conference game.

"Xavier (Martin) did a heck of a job on the boards and with Corvon and Jordan (Caroline), that's three guys 6-4, 6-5 who can get up, " Central coach Scott Davis said.

Martin hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds and Caroline, a sophomore, had a double-double with 10 boards and 15 points, but another teammate measured up just as well on the boards.

Chris Freeman, listed on the roster at 5-10, grabbed four offensive boards in the second quarter.

"Chris is a strong kid with a nose for the ball," Davis said. "This was probably his best game."

The Vikings (4-10) couldn't match up and lost the rebounding battle 40-24.

"That's one of their strengths and a major weakness for us," Vikings coach Gary Tidwell said. "Caroline and Butler, that's a tough duo to compete against. We have to play more physical."

After asserting himself from the perimeter in the first quarter, the 6-5 Butler had his way inside en route to a game-high 22 points. Five of his nine field goals were slam dunks in the final 13 minutes. Butler had six rebounds.

"Butler is a big addition for them," Tidwell said, "and Caroline is coming into his own and playing well."

Davis, whose team is the only unbeaten entry left in the Big 12, is seeing in Caroline this season what he envisioned ... down the road.

"Last year, as a freshman on the sophomore team, he did OK," Davis said. "I'd hoped he'd be the player he is becoming. He has stepped up and is a presence inside."

There's not a better time. Central (9-4) plays at 6:15 p.m. today in the Highland Shootout vs. McCluer North of St. Louis, which won the Collinsville Tournament and has an Auburn recruit inside.

Friday's highlight for Danville was two free throws by Dennis Hightower with 1:15 left before halftime. They gave him six points for the game and 1,000 for his career. He finished with a team-high 18 points. Sophomore Donte Ingram added 13 points.

On tap: Central vs. Centennial
Prep sports coordinator Fred Kroner weighs in on the rivals’ upcoming game:
You can count on plenty of adrenaline — on both sides — in a Friday the 13th game where Central visits Centennial and the Maroons’ Corvon Butler plays his first game as a senior at what was his home court as a junior. The Maroons are in the driver’s seat in the Big 12 Conference, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be the top team in Champaign a week from now without a supreme battle. With 10 seniors on the Maroons’ 13-player varsity roster, however, don’t expect coach Scott Davis’ team to get rattled in a hostile environment against an opponent that now faces an uphill battle to salvage a .500 season.