The former Warrnambool Mermaid contributed six points from her 11 minutes as the Pioneers lost a 72-70 thriller to Sandringham Sabres in Melbourne.

The youngster, who hails from Macarthur, said she was excited and nervous in the lead up to the game.

"Once I got out on the court, I felt fine and knew what I needed to do and tried my best," she said.

READ MORE:

Jones' debut came after she had played a couple of NBL1 pre-season games.

The teenager said her "love for the sport is just growing more and more".

She said the club was a great environment to be part of and her teammates and coach were highly supportive of juniors coming up to the top level.

Jones first started basketball in Port Fairy, under the tutelage of south-west basketball legend Bobby Cunningham, when she was nine.

She'd go on to play for Warrnambool squad teams from under 14s through to under 18s.

The promising youngster also played a Country Basketball League (CBL) season for Warrnambool Mermaids while at the same time representing Geelong Supercats under 16s in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.

The year 11 student moved to Mount Gambier at the start of 2020 to further her basketball and studies.

Her main focus was to play under 18s but then she got asked to train with the NBL1 side.

She combined under 18s with CBL basketball last summer.

Jones is grateful to Cunningham who has been one of her biggest supporters.

"He still calls me and keeps up with everything going on," she said.

The youngster added Louise Brown, who coached her in Warrnambool juniors, was another big influence.

"Without them I wouldn't be where I am today," Jones said.

Another former Mermaid, Leah Bartlett, made her NBL1 debut on Friday night for the Hobart Chargers. They went down to Ballarat Rush by one point.

Mount Gambier and Hobart are both in the south conference so Jones and Bartlett may get to play against each other this season.

The Pioneers and Chargers don't meet until round seven in late May.

Mount Gambier lost its opening two games of the season by narrow margins.

The Pioneers will be looking to get their first win against Ringwood Hawks on Saturday night.

Then they have the Dandenong Rangers.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.