Fairmont Cardinal Boys Basketball

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Damarius Russell connected on four 3-pointers to pace his game-best 22-point performance in guiding the Class AA No. 4-ranked and unbeaten Waseca Bluejays to a 78-40 victory over the Fairmont Cardinals during Big South Conference basketball action Friday night in Waseca.
Damarius Russell made three treys to highlight his 15-point first-half effort that led Waseca to a 36-22 by intermission.
Deron Russell tallied 10 of his 13 points during the second half to help the Bluejays outscore the Cardinals 42-18 during the final 18 minutes of regulation.
Harmon Schrunk netted nine of his team-leading 12 points during the first half for Fairmont and added five rebounds, while Oliver Tordsen nearly collected a double-double by scoring 10 points to complement pulling down a team-best nine boards.
Joseph Hackett sank a pair of 3-pointers to highlight his eight-point contribution to the Cardinals’ effort.
Carson Ohnstad made two trifectas to finish with 12 points for the Bluejays, while teammate Ethan Hiller chipped in nine points.
Fairmont (8-4) travels to Windom (7-6) on Tuesday, Jan. 14, for Game 2 of a varsity girls-boys doubleheader, while No. 4 Waseca (13-0) plays host to Glencoe-Silver Lake (9-2) on Monday, Jan. 13.
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Joey Crissinger delivered 15 points to help propel Fairmont to a 52-49 win over Waseca during B-squad action Friday night in Waseca.
Reed Johnson produced 14 points for the Cardinals, while Tavian Harvey added seven points.
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Gavin Schomberg collected 14 points to help steer Fairmont to a 43-27 triumph over Waseca during C-squad play Friday night in Waseca.
Noah Heckman netted 11 points for the Cardinals.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Fairmont’s defense caused Tri-City United to wind down the shot clock to less than 5 seconds a half-dozen times, while the Cardinals’ transitional game produced six breakaway offensive chances to spark a momentum-changing 22-1 surge midway through the first half.
Hadan Toomer generated a team-best 18 points to complement game-leading totals of nine assists and four steals, Harmon Schrunk delivered 15 points in his first start of the season and Nolan Schultze drilled four 3s to contribute 14 points off the bench to steer Fairmont to a 76-45 triumph over the Titans at Cardinal Gym on Tuesday night.
“Great balance in the scoring column tonight, with three guys in double figures and a couple more with eight (points) apiece. That’s solid all-around teamwork,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson, whose lineup generated an incredible 4-to-1 edge in turnovers – 5 to TCU’s 20. “We did a nice job of getting out in transition and finally finished nearly every trip downcourt tonight during the first half.
“All in all, we went out and took care of business after struggling a little bit early.”
Dylan Fink, who netted eight points and a game-high seven rebounds, hit a putback basket and a baseline jumper to inch the Titans within 11-10 before Oliver Tordsen and Toomer served as the early catalysts behind the Cardinals’ 22-1 offensive avalanche.
Tordsen – who finished with eight points, five boards, four assists, three blocks and three steals – converted a low-post pass from Brett Williams before Tordsen pocketed a theft and fired a baseball pass to a breaking Toomer for a gliding deuce. Schultze then snapped the nets on a left-wing 3 off Toomer’s zipped pass to force a TCU timeout at the 10:32 juncture.
The visitors’ short recess, however, did not slow Fairmont’s momentum as Schultze returned the favor by finding Toomer for a transitional layup before Schrunk banked home a baseline leaner off a pass from Joseph Hackett. Schultze buried another trifecta before Toomer pick-pocketed a steal, drove the distance, hit the lay-in and the ensuing ‘and-1’ for a 28-10 lead with 7 ½ minutes remaining in the opening half.
John Titus sank a solo free throw for TCU only to watch as Schrunk and Tordsen worked a perfect high-low post play, with Schrunk cashing in the traditional 3-point play. Schrunk later rocketed a pass to Tavian Harvey for the cutter in traffic and a 33-11 edge.
Jaylen Nhem, who topped all scorers with 21 points, sank two free throws to halt TCU’s scoring drought before Tordsen two-handed a rim-shaking power dunk that kept the backboard vibrating for 25 seconds. Toomer’s steal-turned-layup, Schultze’s third 3 of the first 18 minutes and Williams cutter off a Joe Long pass led to Fairmont’s 44-17 halftime lead.
The Cardinals, who connected on 19 of 27 first-half field goals for a blistering 70 percent, never looked back during the second half as the home team led by 33 at one juncture (66-33), but could not quite reach running time via a 35-point lead.
Williams finished with eight points off the Cardinals’ bench.
Fairmont (8-3) travels to Class AAA No. 2-ranked Waseca on Friday night.
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TCU     17-28–45
FMT     44-32–76
FAIRMONT (76)
Tordsen 4-6 0-3 8, Schrunk 7-10 1-3 15, Long 0-3 0-0 0, Hackett 1-4 0-0 3, Toomer 8-11 1-1 18, Schultze 5-11 0-0 14, Williams 3-4 2-2 8, Harvey 1-1 0-0 2, Williamson 0-0 1-2 1, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Soelter 0-2 0-0 0, Crissinger 1-1 0-0 3, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 32-56 5-11 76.
TCU (45)
Titus 0-1 1-2 1, Beulke 3-6 0-2 6, Nhem 7-17 4-4 21, Sandbulte 1-4 0-0 3, Fink 4-8 0-0 8, Fournier 0-1 0-0 0, Jirik 2-6 0-0 4, Sheffel 1-1 0-0 2, Mejia 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-46 5-8 45.
3-pointers: Fairmont 7-20 (Schultze 4; Toomer, Hackett and Crissinger 1 each); TCU 4-16 (Nhem 3, Sandbulte 1). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 30 (Tordsen 5); TCU 23 (Fink 7). Assists: Fairmont 18 (Toomer 9, Tordsen 4); TCU 2. Steals: Fairmont 12 (Toomer 4); TCU 5.
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Tavian Harvey connected for 13 points to engineer Fairmont to a 57-17 victory over TCU during B-squad action Tuesday night at Cardinal Gym.
Reed Johnson netted 10 points, Jordan Thompson scored seven, while Joey Crissinger and Kellen Fritz each supplied six points.
TCU topped Fairmont, 42-38, in C-squad action Tuesday night.
Noah Heckman scored 14 points to top the Cardinals, while Carter Hanson added nine points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – With half of his towering tandem sitting on the sideline with a broken wrist, Fairmont head boys basketball coach Jared Thompson trusted his reliable and resilient reserves to fill the shoes of 6-foot-8 Logan Junkermeier on Friday night.
Joe Long – a 5-10 guard who got the start in Junkermeier’s place – distributed a game-best seven assists and sank two game-clinching free throws, while Nolan Schultze and Harmon Schrunk came off the bench to combine for 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals and one monumental blocked shot to play key roles in the Cardinals’ 65-58 Big South Conference win over the Blue Earth Area Bucs in Blue Earth.
“There were a number of heroes in tonight’s game,” said Thompson, whose lineup was coming off three consecutive wins to capture the KwikTrip Holiday Invite at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato last week. “Joseph Hackett hit a ginormous 3 coming out of our timeout with 2 ½ minutes left in the game and the score at 58-all after Blue Earth (Area) had gone on an 8-0 run to draw even on the scoreboard.
“Oliver (Tordsen) played great defense on the next possession and later found Harmon (Schrunk) with the high-low pass for a basket in the paint to put us up by five with a minute and a half to go. Then Nolan blocked a Blue Earth (Area) 3-pointer with time winding down, Oliver grabs the rebound and Joe (Long) gets fouled and makes both free throws with 7.9 seconds remaining.”
Tordsen, who shared the balanced Cardinals’ top scoring honors with Hackett at 14 points apiece, pounded down the last of his four two-handed dunks to answer Buc guard Gage Barker’s drive-and-pullup jumper midway through the second half to maintain Fairmont’s narrow lead at 51-45.
Barker, however, converted an ‘and-1 play’ off a dribble-drive explosion through the paint before Buc teammate Will Bromeland weaved his way to two of his game-best 23 points to later inch the home team within three with 6:44 remaining.
Enter Schultze and starting point guard Hadan Toomer. Toomer pocketed one of his three steals and threaded one of his three assists to Schultze for a breakaway layup to re-establish Fairmont’s lead at 55-50. Schultze then traded roles by zipping an assist to Toomer for a left-corner trifecta to widen the Cardinals’ lead to 58-50 with 5:40 to go.
“Blue Earth is very athletic and wasn’t about to go away trailing by eight,” said Thompson. “They can hit the 3, get hot and score a bunch of points in a hurry, so we knew they’d make a late run at us.”
Barker, who collected 19 points and doled out five assists, garnered one of his three thefts and went the distance to ignite Blue Earth Area’s surge with 4 minutes to go. Barker hit a fadeaway 12-footer in the lane, Bromeland took the basketball to the rim for a right-side drive and Jacob Grandgenett capped a defensive gem by Branson Hauskins to knot the score at 58-all with 2:47 remaining in regulation.
Hackett buried three of his four 3s, Schultze contributed two more treys, while Tordsen and Trevor Maakestad each netted six points to stake Fairmont to a hard-fought 37-33 halftime lead.
Schultze finished with 10 points; Schrunk produced eight points, five boards and three steals; Maakestad netted eight points, three assists and five rebounds; Tordsen grabbed a team-best seven caroms to go with his 14 points and three assists; while Toomer added seven points, three steals and three assists in the Cardinals’ winning performance.
Bromeland topped all players by generating a game-best double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to complement four steals and three assists for the Bucs. Barker delivered 19 points, five assists and three thefts; Hauskins tallied eight points; Caden Juba hit a pair of 3s and Peter Fletcher chipped in eight boards.
Fairmont (7-3) plays host to Tri-City United on Tuesday, Jan. 7, while Blue Earth Area (6-3) hits the road to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Jan. 7.
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Fairmont     37-28–65
B.E. Area     33-25–58
FAIRMONT (65)
Tordsen 7-10 0-0 14, Maakestad 4-11 0-0 8, Long 1-3 2-2 4, Hackett 5-7 0-0 14, Toomer 3-5 0-0 7, Schrunk 4-6 0-3 8, Schultze 3-6 2-2 10, Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-48 4-7 65.
B.E. AREA (58)
Bromeland 10-22 0-1 23, Dahlberg 0-3 0-0 0, Barker 8-20 1-1 19, Juba 2-2 0-0 6, Hauskins 3-11 0-0 8, Grandgenett 1-3 0-0 2, Fletcher 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 1-2 58.
3-pointers: BEA 9-33 (Bromeland 3; Barker, Juba and Hauskins 2 each); Fairmont 7-16 (Hackett 4, Schultze 2, Toomer 1). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: BEA 32 (Bromeland 11, Fletcher 8); Fairmont 27 (Tordsen 7). Assists: Fairmont 18 (Long 7); BEA 9 (Barker 5). Steals: BEA 10 (Bromeland 4); Fairmont 10 (Toomer and Schrunk 3 each).
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Blue Earth Area downed Fairmont in C-squad action, 59-33, Friday.
Noah Heckman scored 11 points to top the Cardinals, while Holden Junkermeier chipped in six points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – KwikTrip/Bethany Lutheran College Holiday Basketball Tournament champions.
The Fairmont Cardinals rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit and fended off the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs’ late comeback, 66-59, to claim the boys hoops program’s third holiday crown on Saturday night.
Oliver Tordsen collected a team-best 18 points, Logan Junkermeier produced a double-double of 12 points and a game-best 12 rebounds, while Hadan Toomer delivered a game-high six assists to complement a nine-point performance to earn all-tournament honors for the Cardinals during the three-day event at the Mankato-based campus.
“From what little scouting info we had on them, we didn’t know how they’d play against a zone (defense),” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson, whose team also claimed holiday tournament titles in 2018 and 2013. “JWP demonstrated their ability to dribble penetrate early in the game, but our guys did a better job of extending the zone to close down the gaps.”
Trailing 32-17 on the heels of two Gavin Bauer free throws with 6 minutes to go in the opening half, reserves Harmon Schrunk and Joe Long took the hardwood floor and played key roles in jumpstarting the Cardinals’ swarming defensive effort to trigger a 17-4 offensive avalanche.
“Our three (Schrunk, Long and Nolan Schultze) came off the bench and helped stop the bleeding, so to speak,” said Thompson. “They gave us instant energy and really intensified our defensive pressure.”
Junkermeier, who paced Fairmont’s stellar 30-10 rebounding edge, hit an ‘and-1’ putback to serve as Fairmont’s late first-half catalyst before Toomer converted a midcourt steal into a layup and for a Bulldog timeout at the 4:34 mark. Daulton Bauer, who tossed in a game-best 23 points, hit a baseline leaner to momentarily interrupt Fairmont’s scoring streak out of the break.
Daulton Bauer’s 2-pointer, however, did not slow the high-flying Cardinals as Long doled out one of his five assists to Junkermeier for a one-handed low-blocks flip, Junkermeier tossed in a low-post basket off a Trevor Maakestad pass and Long weaved through Bulldog defenders to hit a banked runner to narrow Fairmont’s gap to 34-28.
After Gavin Bauer’s steal-turned-layup, Long knocked down a pull-up 17-footer, Junkermeier cashed in a Harmon Schrunk pass and Tordsen inched the Cardinals within 36-34 by intermission by banking in a last-second low-post leaner off a Toomer assist.
Tordsen and Junkermeier packed a lethal 1-2 scoring punch in the paint to open the second half, with Junkermeier’s power baseline drive staking Fairmont to its first lead of the game at 40-38 with 15 ½ minutes remaining.
After Daulton Bauer’s 15-foot pull-up jumper in the lane knotted the game at 40, Schultze produced a traditional 3-point play to help the Cardinals cling to a narrow lead until JWP guard Caleb Quast’s 3-pointer evened the score at 55-all with 5 minutes to go.
Tordsen’s one-hander from the blocks off a Long assist then ignited Fairmont’s 11-4 run to close out the win and tournament championship.
Joseph Hackett, who went 7 of 7 from 3-point range for 21 points in Friday’s semifinal victory over Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, drilled a pivotal trifecta – just his second of the finals – to put the Cardinals in the driver’s seat at 60-55 with 2:33 remaining.
Hackett, Schrunk and Long each contributed seven points to Fairmont’s winning ways, while Maakestad pocketed three steals and dished three assists.
JWP’s sibling connection of Daulton Bauer and Gavin Bauer joined Tordsen, Junkermeier and Toomer on the KwikTrip/BLC all-tournament team.
Fairmont (6-3) travels to Blue Earth Area on Friday, Jan. 3, for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Game 2 of a varsity doubleheader.
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FMT     34-32–66
JWP      36-23-59
FAIRMONT (66)
Tordsen 8-8 2-2 18, Maakestad 1-3 0-0 3, Junkermeier 5-7 2-3 12, Hackett 2-4 1-3 7, Toomer 4-6 1-2 9, Schrunk 3-4 1-1 7, Long 3-6 1-2 7, Schultze 1-6 1-1 3. Totals 27-44 9-14 66.
JWP (59)
D. Bauer 9-15 2-2 23, G. Bauer 7-18 4-6 19, L. Johnson 2-3 0-0 6, Quast 2-4 0-0 5, Born 2-3 2-3 6, Weedman 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-44 8-11 59.
3-pointers: JWP 7-16 (D. Bauer 3, L. Johnson 2, G. Bauer and Quast 1 each); Fairmont 3-17 (Hackett 2, Maakestad 1). Fouled out: L. Johnson. Rebounds: Fairmont 30 (Junkermeier 12); JWP 10 (Born 4). Assists: Fairmont 15 (Toomer 6, Long 5); JWP 9 (D. Bauer 5). Steals: JWP 13 (G. Bauer, L. Johnson and Quast 3 each); Fairmont 11 (Maakestad and Long 3 each).
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Fairmont guard Joseph Hackett simply could not miss from behind the 3-point arc during the KwikTrip Holiday Basketball Tournament on the Bethany Lutheran College campus in Mankato on Friday night.
Hackett scorched the North Gym nets with a perfect 7-for-7 shooting performance from bonus territory to finish with a game-high 21 points to power the Cardinals to a 71-51 tournament semifinal triumph over the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Knights.
Fairmont (5-3) advances to face Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (5-2) for the KwikTrip Holiday championship at 8:30 PM tonight back in the North Gym on the BLC campus. The Bulldogs gained the finals by beating Maple River by a 74-56 semifinal decision Friday night.
“What a difference from the first time we played Lake Crystal during our season-opener back on Dec. 3,” Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to his lineup’s 58-42 loss to LCWM just 24 days ago. “And what a bounce-back story for Joseph Hackett. He was 1-for-10 from 3-point range during our first game with them and turns around to nearly match our program’s single-game record of eight 3s without a miss tonight. Just a great effort on Joseph’s part.”
Hackett went 6 of 6 behind the arc for 18 points in the first half to help guide the Cardinals to a 38-32 lead by intermission before Fairmont erupted for 33 second-segment points to coast away for the 20-point margin of victory.
Logan Junkermeier neared double-double territory by tossing in 16 points to complement pulling down a team-best eight rebounds for the Cardinals, while teammate Oliver Tordsen contributed 11 points and seven boards. Both towers of power rejected three opposing shots to pace the red-and-white defense.
Harmon Schrunk reached double-digit scoring with a 10-point outing for Fairmont, Hadan Toomer distributed a team-leading six assists, Trevor Maakestad knocked down two 3-pointers for six points, while Joe Long pocketed three steals.
Charlie Gengler scored 13 points to top the Knights (3-3), while teammate Jack Goeringer tossed in a dozen point on the strength of four 3-pointers.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Fairmont’s bigs-and-bench approach proved too powerful for the St. Clair Cyclones to twist by as the Cardinals coasted to a 77-52 victory during the opening round of the KwikTrip Bethany Lutheran College holiday basketball tournament Thursday night in Mankato.
Fairmont (4-3) squares off against Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial in tonight’s 8:30 PM championship semifinal in the North Gym of the BLC athletic facility. The Knights disposed of Mankato Loyola by a 76-48 first-round decision Thursday night. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton faces Maple River in tonight’s 6:30 PM winners-bracket semifinal in the North Gym.
“We were resilient tonight. Every time St. Clair got close on the scoreboard, we countered each and every time to never give up the lead,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson. “They used the 3 to stay within striking distance, but we finally went on a huge double-figure run midway through the first half to build a 19-point lead by halftime.”
Carter Bilitz and Austin Ward drained back-to-back treys to inch the Cyclones within 15-14 with 10 minutes showing on the scoreboard before Oliver Tordsen put his 6-foot-8 athletic frame to use by tossing in a 10-footer in the paint for two of his game-best 21 points to answer for the Cardinals.
Avery Anderson worked the baseline to draw St. Clair within one again, but Tordsen and 6-8 Logan Junkermeier – Fairmont’s bigs – and top reserve Nolan Schultze combined their court skills to account for 17 points of the Cardinals’ momentum-seizing 20-0 offensive avalanche.
Trevor Maakestad fed Tordsen in the low blocks for a one-hander before Maakestad knocked down a 3 to widen Fairmont’s margin to 22-16. Junkermeier, who produced 14 points and seven rebounds, flipped home a half-hook runner off a Joseph Hackett entry pass to force St. Clair to call timeout at the 7:37 mark.
The short recess did not slow the Cardinals’ snowballing momentum as Junkermeier reeled off five straight points, sparked by one of Tordsen’s seven assists and one of Hadan Toomer’s game-high eight helpers for a 13-point edge at the 6-minute juncture.
Schultze, who produced 14 of the Fairmont reserves’ 30 points on the night, swooshed two 3-pointers to bookend Tordsen’s thundering two-handed dunk off a Harmon Schrunk pass to extend the Cardinals’ commanding lead to 37-16 with 3 ½ minutes left before intermission.
Austin Ward, who topped St. Clair with 14 points and six rebounds, dished one of his three assists to finally end his team’s offensive drought as Ethan Ward hit a cutter. Schrunk later cashed in a Toomer threaded pass for two of his six points on the game, Joe Long buried a left-wing trey for three of his eight points before Tordsen rattled the rim on another two-handed jam to help close out the Cardinals’ 19-point halftime lead.
“Our guys off the bench connected for five of our seven 3s on the game, with Nolan having his best game of the season by knocking down three,” said Thompson. “I thought we took good looks from 3-point range (7 of 15) and from the field overall (31 of 55) tonight and proved very efficient offensively.
“I challenged our guys to keep up the intensity during the second half, and we accomplished that 31-25.”
Hunter Winkler’s steal and end-to-end driving runner on the heels of consecutive 3-pointers by Sam Freitag, Bilitz and Austin Ward, respectively, eventually whittled St. Clair’s deficit to 62-50 with 6 minutes left in regulation before Fairmont’s super-subs responded to fuel a 13-0 game-clinching run.
Long nailed a pivotal 3-pointer off a Junkermeier kickout pass, Tordsen sank two free throws, Schultze drilled a trifecta, Toomer banked home a runner in traffic and Schultze capped the outburst with a traditional 3-point play with 2:25 to go.
Tordsen neared triple-double territory by grabbing eight rebounds to complement his 21-point, seven-assist performance for the Cardinals, while Toomer and Maakestad chipped in six points each.
Freitag contributed 13 points, including three 3s, to St. Clair’s effort, while Bilitz supplied 12 points.
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Fairmont     46-31–77
St. Clair       27-25–52
FAIRMONT (77)
Tordsen 9-11 3-3 21, Maakestad 2-5 0-2 6, Junkermeier 6-8 2-4 14, Hackett 0-2 0-0 0, Toomer 3-9 0-0 6, Schultze 4-7 3-3 14, Schrunk 3-7 0-2 6, Long 3-4 0-0 8, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Pomerenke 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-55 8-14 77.
ST. CLAIR (52)
Winkler 1-5 0-0 2, Freitag 5-14 0-0 13, Bilitz 4-7 2-3 12, Anderson 3-4 0-2 6, A. Ward 5-9 0-0 14, E. Ward 1-3 0-0 2, Cumberland 0-2 1-2 1, Emery 0-1 0-0 0, Wiederhoeft 1-1 0-0 2, Goosen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 3-7 52.
3-pointers: St. Clair 9-19 (A. Ward 4, Freitag 3, Bilitz 2); Fairmont 7-15 (Schultze 3, Maakestad and Long 2 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 29 (Tordsen 8, Junkermeier 7); St. Clair 25 (A. Ward 6). Assists: Fairmont 24 (Toomer 8, Tordsen 7); St. Clair 4. Steals: Fairmont 15 (Toomer and Schultze 4 each); St. Clair 4 (A. Ward 3).
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Reed Johnson reeled off 25 points to guide Fairmont to a 57-37 first-round holiday tournament junior varsity tournament win over St. Clair on Thursday in Mankato.
Fairmont plays Mankato Loyola at 3:30 PM today in a championship semifinal.
Brayden Williamson contributed nine points to the Cardinals’ win, while Josh Soelter supplied eight points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Grant Freking supplied basketball-hawking backcourt defensive pressure and baseline offense, while Weston Rowe blistered the nylon nets on a game-high five 3-pointers – including a pair of clutch buzzer-beaters – to help the Class AA No. 5-ranked and unbeaten Jackson County Central Huskies stave off the upset-minded Fairmont Cardinals, 52-49, Friday night.
“We (coaching staff) thought it would come down to two factors – turnovers and rebounds,” Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to his team’s plus-one edge on the boards and minus-one deficit in miscues. “We led on the scoreboard for the entire first half and stayed close in the second half, but we’re not quite at Jackson’s (County Central) level yet.”
Oliver Tordsen’s low-post presence on both offense and defense, combined with five Fairmont 3-pointers – including a pair of Hadan Toomer, helped the hometown Cardinals build leads of 8-3 and 21-11 before Freking’s court vision and Rowe’s long-distance shooting narrowed the Huskies’ halftime deficit to 26-21.
Toomer’s left-wing 3-pointer, Logan Junkermeier’s low-post banker off one of Tordsen’s co-game-high six assists and Tavian Harvey’s trifecta off another Tordsen kickout toss staked Fairmont to a 10-point margin before Freking spotted Rowe for a 3 and Thomas Liepold for a cutter to halve JCC’s deficit.
Joe Long buried a top-of-the-key trey and Junkermeier sank two free throws to restore the double-digit edge at 26-16 with 1:15 left in the first half only to watch Freking and Rowe combine for five quick points before intermission.
Freking, who collected solid all-around numbers of 16 points, six boards, five steals and a co-game-high six assists, worked the baseline for a leaner off a Rowe pass before Rowe beat the halftime horn with a 30-footer off the window.
“He (Rowe) hit three huge 3s that hurt us. The one right before halftime to take away some of our momentum, and then with the shot clock winding down midway through the second half, he sinks the corner 3 to help Jackson eventually go on a 12-0 run to take the lead for good,” said Thompson. “He later hit another clutch 3 after we had gotten within four at 47-43 to slow down our late comeback.”
After Rowe – who produced a game-best 23 points – joined forces with Freking and Aiven Farmer in the initial stages of the second half to reel off an 8-0 run to tie Fairmont (29-all) for the second of five times on the game, Tordsen notched six of his team-leading 16 points to stay even with Rowe and JCC to 35-all.
Freking, however, took control with 10 ½ minutes remaining in regulation by scoring seven of the Huskies’ pivotal ensuing 12-0 surge and finding Farmer and Rowe for a low-post basket and a 3, respectively, en route to a 47-35 lead.
Nolan Schultze drained a 3, Tordsen converted two free throws and Toomer scooped home a drive-and-swoop move to later inch Fairmont within four only to watch Rowe bank home a right-wing trifecta to beat the horn for a third key time.
Junkermeier’s free throws pulled the Cardinals within 51-49 with 52 seconds to go, but steals by Freking and Liepold sandwiched around the Huskies’ missed 1-and-1 situation helped fend off Fairmont, with Carson Pohlman hitting a solo free throw with 4.3 seconds left.
Fairmont (3-3) tips off the Bethany Lutheran College Holiday Invite against St. Clair at 6:30 PM Thursday, Dec. 26, at the Mankato-based school. Jackson County Central (6-0) faces No. 10-ranked Montevideo at the Southwest Minnesota State University Holiday Invite on Monday, Dec. 30, in Marshall.
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JCC     21-31–52
FMT    26-23–49
FAIRMONT (49)
Tordsen 6-12 4-6 16, Maakestad 1-6 0-0 3, Junkermeier 1-3 5-6 7, Hackett 0-1 0-0 0, Toomer 3-12 0-0 8, Schrunk 0-6 0-0 0, Schultze 2-6 0-0 6, Long 2-3 1-2 6, Harvey 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 16-50 10-14 49.
JCC (52)
Pohlman 0-4 1-2 1, Freking 7-18 2-5 16, Farmer 3-8 0-1 6, Sether 0-1 1-2 1, W. Rowe 9-18 0-0 23, Buhl 1-3 0-0 2, Liepold 1-1 0-0 2, B. Rowe 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 21-43 5-12 52.
3-pointers: Fairmont 7-19 (Toomer and Schultze 2 each; Maakestad, Long and Harvey 1 each); JCC 5-9 (W. Rowe 5). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 33 (Tordsen 8); JCC 32 (Farmer 8). Assists: Fairmont 10 (Tordsen 6); JCC 8 (Freking 6). Steals: JCC 17 (Freking 5); Fairmont 16 (Hackett 4). Blocked shots: Fairmont 7 (Tordsen 4, Junkermeier 3).
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JCC defeated Fairmont in C-squad action, 45-27, Friday night in Fairmont.
Wyatt Healey and Noah Heckman each scored eight points for the Cardinals.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – The leaping and leaning towers of Fairmont literally topped the Cardinal boys basketball team’s statistical charts and the visiting New Ulm Eagles during Big South Conference action Tuesday night in Fairmont.
Logan Junkermeier posted an incredible double-double of 27 points and game-high 17 rebounds to complement five blocked shots, while Oliver Tordsen delivered game-highs of 28 points and seven rejections to go with eight rebounds to propel Fairmont to a 65-58 victory over New Ulm at Cardinal Gym.
“One would have to go back a ways to find two post players dominating a game inside like Oliver and Logan did tonight,” Cardinals’ head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to the 55-point, 25-rebound and 12-blocks combined performance. “They controlled the tempo both offensively and defensively, and maybe even more importantly, combined to make 13 of 17 free throws. If they keep shooting from the line like that, we’ll be difficult to stop.
“Give credit to our guards for understanding the situation tonight. They recognized our bigs had the hot hands and kept feeding them the ball, and didn’t worry about individual stats. A great team attitude.”
Joe Long’s left-corner 3-pointer off one of Joseph Hackett’s five assists, combined with Tordsen’s block that spurred his alley-oop toss-in off a Harmon Schrunk pass, built an early 18-10 lead for the Cardinals before Owen Castleman and Levi Hopp countered for the Eagles. Castleman, a 6-foot-1 freshman, cashed in one of Levi Hopp’s five assists for a baseline floater before Levi Hopp knocked down a trey for three of his team-leading 18 points to narrow the Eagles’ deficit to three with 8:18 remaining in the first half.
Enter the towers. Tordsen banked in a low-post leaner off one of Hadan Toomer’s five assists to trigger Fairmont’s pivotal 11-0 run. Schrunk tossed in a low-post spin move before Tordsen cleaned the windows for a putback.
Tavian Harvey hit a breakaway layup off a Toomer steal-turned-assist, Junkermeier hit a solo free throw and later converted a Hackett assist for a leaner from the blocks for a 29-15 margin en route to a 33-20 halftime lead.
Levi Hopp and Mitchell Hopp, who delivered 15 points, then stretched Fairmont’s defense during the first 10 minutes of the second half to narrow New Ulm’s gap to 48-42. Mitchell Hopp generated eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Levi Hopp tallied five points – with a 3 included – to claw the Eagles within six with 8 minutes remaining in regulation.
Tordsen and Junkermeier then combined for a clutch 6-0 mini-run en route to accounting for the Cardinals’ final 17 points to fend off the Eagles’ late comeback bid. After Mitchell Hopp’s inbound theft-turned-layup inched New Ulm within 60-58 with 70 seconds remaining, Junkermeier answered the challenge by hitting a baseline leaner with 43 ticks left on the scoreboard.
Long’s defensive gem – an intercepted wing pass – eventually set up Tordsen’s two free throws at the 22-second mark for a 64-58 lead before Tordsen’s seventh and final blocked shot put an exclamation mark on the Cardinals’ victory.
Fairmont (3-2) plays host to No. 9-ranked Jackson County Central in Game 2 of a varsity doubleheader at 7:30 PM Friday night at Cardinal Gym. New Ulm (1-4) plays host to St. Peter on Friday night.
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New Ulm    20-38–58
Fairmont     33-32–65
FAIRMONT (65)
Tordsen 11-15 6-7 28, Maakestad 0-0 0-0 0, Junkermeier 10-13 7-10 27, Hackett 0-3 0-0 0, Toomer 1-7 0-1 2, Long 1-2 0-0 3, Schrunk 1-5 1-2 3, Schultze 0-4 0-0 0, Harvey 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 25-50 14-22 65.
NEW ULM (58)
M. Hopp 6-12 0-1 15, L. Hopp 7-14 0-0 18, Dennis 2-6 0-3 5, Hubbard 1-7 1-2 4, Risen 1-4 0-0 3, Castleman 5-9 1-2 11, Wise 1-4 0-1 2. Totals 23-56 2-9 58.
3-pointers: New Ulm 10-28 (L. Hopp 4; M. Hopp 3; Dennis, Hubbard and Risen 1 each); Fairmont 1-10 (Long 1). Fouled out: Risen and Wise. Rebounds: Fairmont 40 (Junkermeier 17, Tordsen 8); New Ulm 19 (L. Hopp 6). Assists: New Ulm 14 (L. Hopp 5, M. Hopp 3); Fairmont 13 (Hackett and Toomer 5 each). Steals: Fairmont 7; New Ulm 5.

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Fairmont utilized the three B’s of basketball – ‘bigs,’ bench and blocked shots – to chalk up a nonconference ‘W’ over Martin County West during doubleheader action Saturday at Cardinal Gym.
Oliver Tordsen and Logan Junkermeier – a pair of 6-foot-8 post players – each delivered double-double performances, while seven different reserve hoopsters reached the scoring column to pace the hometown Cardinals’ 69-31 runaway triumph over the Mavericks in Fairmont.
Tordsen generated 12 points and grabbed a game-best 13 boards to complement four assists and four blocks, while Junkermeier tossed in a dozen points, hauled in 10 caroms, garnered four steals and rejected four shots.
“We capitalized on our height advantage and got off to fast starts in the early stages of both the first and second halves,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson, whose lineup doubled MCW’s output on the boards, 34-17. “Our bench gave us quality minutes, and overall we handled the basketball better, limiting our turnovers to just three in the second half, compared to eight in the first half.”
Junkermeier converted a high-low post pass from Tordsen for the game’s initial basket before Hadan Toomer doled out one of his game-best five assists to 6-6 Trevor Maakestad for a low-post cutter. Toomer then spotted Joseph Hackett for a left-corner 3-pointer to serve as the catalyst to a quick 7-0 run out of the gates.
Jeremiah Olson buried a corner 3 to help MCW interrupt Fairmont’s quick start before Junkermeier and Tordsen sparked an ensuing 8-0 surge. Tordsen flipped a pass to Junkermeier for the leaner in the blocks before Toomer lofted a perfect alley-oop to Junkermeier for a powerful dunk at the 15-minute juncture. Tordsen added a putback before combining with Junkermeier to create Joe Long’s breakaway basket. Junkermeier rejected a Maverick shot and fired an outlet pass to Tordsen, who zipped an assist to Long, for a 15-3 lead with 13:10 showing on the scoreboard.
Josh Roben’s 8-footer in the lane off a Jacob Wilmes entry pass finally helped the Mavericks end their offensive drought a minute later. Long and Harmon Schrunk, who each scored eight points off the bench to help Fairmont’s reserves to a 23-point performance on the night, combined for seven points to help the home team build a 26-14 lead by intermission.
Junkermeier’s low-post lay-in off a Toomer lofty pass to close out the opening half helped the Cardinals bridge halftime with a pivotal 15-2 run to build a 39-16 margin with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
Toomer, who chipped in six points and four steals, contributed two free throws and rim-rolling runner to trigger a second-half offensive outburst before Tordsen cleaned the offensive glass for back-to-back putbacks. Long later connected for a 3-pointer before Tordsen put an exclamation point on a putback slam dunk 5 minutes into the second segment.
“It’s not too often you see two different ‘bigs’ throw down dunks in the same game, but Oliver and Junk came through tonight,” said Thompson.
Nolan Schultze, Merritt Pomerenke, Jordan Thompson and Joey Crissinger each came off the bench to deliver 3-pointers as the Cardinals outscored the Mavericks by a 43-17 margin during the second half.
Olson scored six points to top the Mavericks, Wilmes finished with five points and a team-leading five boards, Kale Larson supplied five points and three assists, while Lucas Larson added four points and three steals.
Fairmont (2-2) tips off Tuesday night’s varsity doubleheader against New Ulm at 6 PM at Cardinal Gym, while Martin County West (3-3) travels to Madelia on Tuesday night.
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MCW      14-17–31
FMT        26-43–69
FAIRMONT (69)
Tordsen 6-7 0-2 12, Maakestad 1-3 0-0 2, Junkermeier 6-12 0-0 12, Hackett 2-5 0-0 5, Toomer 2-5 2-2 6, Long 3-6 0-0 8, Schrunk 4-6 0-0 8, Harvey 0-1 0-0 0, Schultze 1-5 0-0 3, R. Johnson 2-2 0-0 4, Pomerenke 1-2 0-0 3, Fritz 0-2 0-0 0, Thompson 1-1 0-0 3, Crissinger 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 30-60 2-4 69.
MCW (31)
Roben 1-5 1-2 3, Olson 2-7 0-0 6, Wilmes 2-8 0-0 5, L. Larson 1-2 1-2 4, K. Larson 1-7 2-4 5, Owens 1-2 0-2 2, Sharp 1-3 0-0 2, Forsberg 1-1 0-0 3, Ringnell 0-1 1-2 1, McMains 0-0 0-1 0, Ketter 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 10-36 5-15 31.
3-pointers: Fairmont 7-18 (Long 2; Hackett, Schultze, Pomerenke, Thompson and Crissinger 1 each); MCW 6-19 (Olson 2; Wilmes, L. Larson, K. Larson and Forsberg 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 34 (Tordsen 13, Junkermeier 10); MCW 17 (Wilmes 5). Assists: Fairmont 16 (Toomer 5, Tordsen 4); MCW 6 (K. Larson 3). Steals: Fairmont 15 (Junkermeier and Toomer 4 each); MCW 8 (L. Larson 3).
…
Noah Heckman netted 15 points to help Fairmont edge Martin County West, 46-44, during C-squad action Saturday in Fairmont.
Carter Hanson contributed 13 points to the Cardinals’ win, while Holden Junkermeier chipped in 11 points.

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – The Redwood Valley basketball team literally possessed means to countering Fairmont’s distinct height advantage. Senior guard Lukas Means, that is.
Means nearly collected a rare triple-double by pouring in a game-best 30 points on the strength of seven 3-pointers, pocketed 10 steals and dished eight assists to help Redwood Valley offset a 43-27 rebounding deficit in the visiting Cardinals’ 73-60 Big South victory over Fairmont on Tuesday night.
“We list him at 5-10 but he’s actually closer to 5-8,” a grinning Redwood Valley head coach Aaron Lindahl said in reference to Means’ size or lack thereof. “He’s drawn a lot of attention from opposing defenses after leading us in scoring, in addition to leading the entire state in 3-pointers made, during the last two seasons.
“Teams can throw double-teams and traps at him, but when he gets in a shooting rhythm, he’s hard to stop.”
Lindahl’s analysis proved as accurate as a Means’ net-snapping 3-pointer. Fairmont utilized its pair of towering 6-foot-8 post players – Logan Junkermeier and Oliver Tordsen – to dunk the hometown Cardinals to a quick 4-2 edge before Means and sophomore teammate Zack Lundeen unleashed a barrage of behind-the-arc missiles to trigger Redwood Valley’s pivotal 21-3 surge.
After Junkermeier – who produced a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards – hit two free throws and slammed home a high-low assist from Tordsen – who finished with a team-high 15 points and a game-best 16 rebounds, Means and Lundeen went to work.
Means proved the beneficiary of Redwood Valley’s backcourt trap, pick-pocketing back-to-back thefts off the press before spotting Lundeen for a trifecta and Ethan Louwagie for his lone trey of the game. Lundeen and Means then traded roles back-and-forth to pile up five more 3-pointers to stake Redwood Valley to a 23-7 lead midway through the first half.
“He’s not the tallest guy out there, but he has incredible court sense and knows how to find his teammates,” Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to Means. “You have to give our guys credit though for battling back after falling behind by nearly 20 in the first half.
“Joseph Hackett countered with all three of his 3s on the game, while we just kept pounding the ball inside to our three bigs (Tordsen, Junkermeier and 6-6 Trevor Maakestad) to pull within seven (38-31) with a minute before halftime.”
Junkermeier banked in back-to-back low-post leaners to serve as the catalyst behind Fairmont’s 14-2 surge at the 4-minute juncture. Maakestad then zipped a pass to Hackett for a right-corner 3 before Means sank two free throws for Redwood Valley.
Hadan Toomer, who finished with 11 points, threaded assists to Maakestad for a right-wing triple and a low post basket, respectively, before Tordsen dropped in two free throws to close Fairmont with 38-31. Unfortunately for Fairmont, Means nailed his sixth trey of the first half with 50 seconds remaining before converting Elway Berg’s midcourt steal into a last-second layup to restore a 12-point lead at the break.
Tordsen and Harmon Schrunk combined in the paint for an 11-4 run during the early stages of the second half to draw Fairmont within nine at 55-46, but Berg and Lundeen answered the challenge off assists from Means to keep the home team at an arm’s length with 7 minutes to go in regulation.
After Tordsen crashed the offensive glass and muscled his way to the rim from the baseline for a pair of baskets, Berg swooshed a 3-pointer before Lundeen lit up the scoreboard with back-to-back trifectas to extend Redwood Valley’s margin to 65-48. Toomer, Tordsen and Junkermeier combined for all of Fairmont’s final 11 points of the game, but the earlier deficit proved too steep to overcome.
Berg produced a double-double of 17 points to complement his team-best 10 rebounds for Redwood Valley, while Lundeen generated 15 points via five 3-pointers.
Fairmont (1-2) plays host to Martin County West at 3:30 PM Saturday at Cardinal Gym, while Redwood Valley (3-1) plays host to New London-Spicer on Thursday, Dec. 12.
…
Redwood     43-30–73
Fairmont      31-29–60
FAIRMONT (60)
Tordsen 6-13 3-5 15, Maakestad 2-9 2-2 7, Junkermeier 5-12 2-4 12, Hackett 3-4 0-0 9, Toomer 3-10 4-9 11, Long 1-3 0-0 3, Schrunk 1-3 1-2 3, Schultze 0-4 0-0 0, Harvey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 12-22 60.
REDWOOD (73)
Crawford 2-8 0-0 4, Means 10-23 3-4 30, Louwagie 1-1 0-2 3, Peterson 2-5 0-0 4, Berg 6-15 2-2 17, Lundeen 5-10 0-0 15. Totals 26-62 5-8 73.
3-pointers: Redwood Valley 16-38 (Means 7, Lundeen 5, Berg 3, Louwagie 1); Fairmont 6-23 (Hackett 3; Maakestad, Toomer and Long 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 43 (Tordsen 16, Junkermeier 13); Redwood Valley 27 (Berg 10). Assists: Redwood Valley 18 (Means 8, Lundeen 4); Fairmont 12 (Maakestad 4, Toomer 3). Steals: Redwood Valley 17 (Means 10); Fairmont 8 (Maakestad 3). Blocks: Fairmont 6 (Tordsen 4).
…
Reed Johnson poured in a game-best 19 points to engineer Fairmont’s 54-49 win over Redwood Valley during B-squad action Tuesday night in Fairmont.
Josh Soelter tossed in nine points for Fairmont, Kellen Fritz tallied seven points, while Jordan Thompson chipped in six points.

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Logan Junkermeier and Oliver Tordsen utilized their length and second-half efforts to spearhead the Fairmont Cardinals’ late surge against the St. James Saints during Big South Conference basketball action Friday night.
The pair of 6-foot-8 post players combined for 24 of Fairmont’s 39 points during the final 18 minutes of regulation to engineer a 61-54 comeback victory over St. James at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont.
“Our bigs’ length mattered tonight,” Cardinals head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to Tordsen’s double-double performance of 15 points and 11 rebounds – along with Junkermeier’s game-highs of 17 points and five blocked shots to complement nine boards. “We finally wore them (the Saints) out down low (in the lane) and knocked down some timely 3s to open things up a bit.”
Brennan Kern, who generated a game-best 23 points, drilled back-to-back trifectas and a 15-footer before Wyatt Haler hit a reverse putback off of Kern’s steal to ignite a 10-0 run to swing an early 14-6 lead to the Saints.
Ethan Leimer’s 3-pointer and Kern’s steal turned end-to-end layup later extended St. James’ margin to nine points with 2:56 left in the opening half before Trevor Maakestad’s trey and Tordsen’s offensive-board conversion reduced Fairmont’s deficit to 26-22 by the break.
Tordsen utilized his power in the low post to throw down a dunk during the second-half’s initial 3 minutes to fuel the Cardinals’ mini-run that knotted the score at 30-all. Junkermeier converted one of Tordsen’s three assists for a low-block leaner off a high-low play before Hadan Toomer’s steal-turned-layup created a Saints’ timeout at the 14:55 juncture.
Kern’s defensive prowess and perimeter accuracy spurred St. James’ 5-0 mini-run via a pick-pocket lay-in and 3-pointer to regain the lead, but it was temporary as Junkermeier got the hot hand to spark a momentum-switching 18-5 surge down the stretch.
Down 41-37, Tordsen spotted Joseph Hackett for the second of his two 3s before Junkermeier displayed his shooting range with a go-ahead 3 from the top of the key. Leimer tied the game one last time at 43-all with a lane runner, but Junkermeier countered with a putback basket and a mid-lane one-hander off Tavian Harvey’s entry pass.
John Boelke, who tallied 11 on the game, nailed a trey to inch St. James within 47-46 only to watch as Maakestad nailed a 3 off a Toomer assist before Tordsen’s ‘and-1’ low-post move and baseline leaner off a Junkermeier pass, respectively, created a 55-46 lead with 2:20 to go in regulation.
“Hadan really came up clutch for us by sinking big free throws with less than a minute to go to put the game away,” Thompson said in reference to his senior point guard.
Toomer, who netted 14 points to complement three steals, sank 4 of 6 free throws during the final 36 seconds to seal the Cardinals’ comeback victory. Maakestad and Hackett each contributed six points for the home team.
Fairmont (1-1) plays host to Redwood Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 10, in another conference game.
…
St. James     26-28–54
Fairmont     22-39–61
FAIRMONT (61)
Tordsen 7-9 1-2 15, Maakestad 2-8 0-0 6, Junkermeier 7-9 2-4 17, Hackett 2-5 0-0 6, Toomer 4-8 4-6 14, Schultze 0-3 0-0 0, Long 0-1 0-0 0, Harvey 1-4 0-0 2, Schrunk 0-3 1-3 1. Totals 23-50 8-15 61.
ST. JAMES (54)
Sawatzky 1-1 0-2 3, Haler 2-12 2-2 6, Kern 10-25 0-0 23, Boelke 4-8 2-2 11, Leimer 3-7 0-0 7, Blom 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 22-57 4-6 54.
3-pointers: Fairmont 7-22 (Maakestad, Hackett and Toomer 2 each; Junkermeier 1); St. James 6-21 (Kern 3; Sawatzky, Boelke and Leimer 1 each). Fouled out: Sawatzky. Rebounds: Fairmont 30 (Tordsen 11, Junkermeier 9); St. James 27 (Boelke 7). Assists: Fairmont 9 (Tordsen 3); St. James 6 (Sawatzky 4). Steals: St. James 12 (Kern 4); Fairmont 8 (Toomer 3). Blocked shots: Fairmont 8 (Junkermeier 5).

FAIRMONT – Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial junior guard Brayden Mathews drained a game-best eight 3-pointers en route to a game-high 24 points to power the Knights past Fairmont, 58-42, during nonconference basketball action Tuesday night in Lake Crystal.
Mathews poured in five trifectas to help the Knights build a 34-15 halftime lead over the Cardinals, who were playing in their season-opener.
Senior guard Hadan Toomer tossed in a team-best nine points to help Fairmont outscore LCWM 27-24 during the second half, but the comeback fell short.
Oliver Tordsen and Harmon Schrunk each contributed eight points to the Cardinals’ balanced offensive effort, Joseph Hackett generated seven points, while Joe Long, Logan Junkermeier and Nolan Schultze each chipped in five points.
The Cardinals made 16 of 56 field goals in their opener – including only 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point arc, and dropped in 5 of 10 at the free throw line.
Tordsen, Junkermeier and Schrunk combined to help pace Fairmont’s 38-27 rebounding edge on the game.
Charlie Gengler delivered 16 points – 10 during the second half – to pack scoring punch to Mathews’ perimeter performance for the Knights, who scorched nets on 11 of 22 attempts from 3-point distance.
Fairmont (0-1) plays host to St. James Area in Game 2 of a Big South Conference varsity doubleheader at 7:30 PM Friday night at Cardinal Gym.
…
Reed Johnson poured in a game-best 23 points to steer Fairmont to a season-opening 70-64 win over LCWM during B-squad action Tuesday night in Lake Crystal.
Brayden Williamson netted 16 points for the Cardinals (1-0) in the victory, while Josh Soelter supplied 12 points.
…
LCWM defeated Fairmont in C-squad action, 51-33, Tuesday night in Lake Crystal.
Noah Heckman topped the Cardinals’ debut by scoring 18 points, while Carter Hanson chipped in seven points for Fairmont (0-1).

FHS boys hoopsters look to reach new heights

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – Jared Thompson will look to literally reach new heights during his 15th season at the helm of the Fairmont Cardinals boys basketball program.
When Fairmont tips off its 2024-25 season by hitting the road to Lake Crystal on Tuesday night to face the host Knights in a nonconference clash, four of Thompson’s varsity veterans returning to the hardwood will measure an average of nearly 6 feet and 7 inches.
“We should be able to play against anybody in this area because of our unique size inside,” said Thompson, whose team is coming off a 13-14 performance last season – ignited by a seven-game winning streak from Jan. 22 to Feb. 13.
Senior co-captain Oliver Tordsen and junior Logan Junkermeier – both standing between 6-8 and 6-9 – return to the paint after starting the majority of the games a year ago, while 6-6 senior Trevor Maakestad brings more height to the frontcourt after serving as a part-time starter in 2023-24. Senior 6-4 forward Harmon Schrunk, another part-time starter last winter, rounds out the Cardinals’ towering frontline.
Tordsen, a Big South Conference Blue Division honorable mention selection, brings Fairmont’s best returning game averages of 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds back to the court, in addition to 27 blocked shots and a team-leading 60.2 percent shooting clip.
Senior co-captain Hadan Toomer, who stands 6-feet even, and 6-0 junior Joseph Hackett will represent a starter and part-time starter, respectively, returning to the Cardinals’ backcourt this winter. Toomer averaged 7.5 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per outing in 2023-24.
“If we can reduce our turnovers from a year ago by taking care of the basketball, while sharing it with our bigs down low, I think we’ll have a legitimate chance to be competitive in each and every game,” said Thompson.
Junkermeier and Schrunk, two of the four ‘bigs,’” hit the hardwood court will solid statistics from last season. Junkermeier averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 boards per outing, while Schrunk supplied 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists every time he checked into the lineup.
The senior small forward/guard tandem of 6-3 Brett Williams and 6-2 Nolan Schultze provide more depth and athleticism to Thompson’s rotation, with juniors Joe Long and Tavian Harvey figuring into the competitive mix in the backcourt during the initial stages of the campaign.
Jordan Thompson, Jalen Jackson, Merritt Pomerenke, Carmyne Hecht and Kellen Fritz round out the juniors vying for varsity minutes, along with the sophomore quartet of Josh Soelter, Reed Johnson, Joey Crissinger and Brayden Williamson. Unfortunately for Jared Thompson, Williamson will start the season on the injured list, while Pomerenke and Jordan Thompson continue their recoveries from injuries during the football campaign.
Jared Thompson anticipates defending Section 3AA champion Jackson County Central as the leading contender in the preseason rankings due to returning nearly all their players from last year’s state-qualifying team.
“We’d like to figure out where all the pieces fit in our rotation as the season progresses, and then pick up momentum as we near the playoffs and make a good run,” said Thompson. “We should be tested night in and night out due to the skilled depth in our conference, and that should help come playoff time.”
Fairmont plays its first home game as part of a varsity doubleheader with St. James Area on Friday, Dec. 6, at Cardinal Gym. The boys’ game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

The 24-25 season is here!! Our parent/player meeting will be Sunday, October 13th at 6pm in the FES cafeterias. Online registration to open soon!!

Please use this link to access the FBBA master schedule:

FBBA master schedule link
 

***24-25 season schedule not completed yet***

The Fairmont Boys Basketball Asoociation (FBBA) is excited to announce that this years upcoming season is right around the corner and all registration will be done online!

Please Click the link below to register players for the upcoming 2024-2025 FBBA Traveling Basketball Season.  

Please click the link below for tournament entry form for this years Cardinal Classic.  4th, 5th and 7th grade on Saturday March 1st with 6th and 8th grade on Sunday March 2nd.

https://tourneymachine.com/E153118