Fairmont Cardinal Boys Basketball

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
WINDOM – Fairmont and Jackson County Central split their pair of down-to-the-wire regular-season boys basketball games, with the Huskies winning 52-49 on Dec. 20 before the Cardinals countered with a 40-38 win on Jan. 24.
Insert 6-foot-4 junior forward Roman Voss and junior point guard Ben Gallagher into the Class AA No. 5-ranked JCC starting lineup during Thursday night’s Section 3 quarterfinal in Windom and the result proved a 66-50 Huskies’ victory over the Cardinals.
JCC (23-4) advances to face Luverne (19-7) in an 8 PM sectional semifinal Saturday, March 8, at the R/A Facility on the Southwest Minnesota State University campus in Marshall. Luverne outlasted Redwood Valley by a 90-79 decision to gain the next round.
“Voss and Gallagher elevate JCC’s athleticism to another level on the court,” Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson said in reference to the return of the two athletic standouts who missed the majority of the regular season due to injuries suffered during the Huskies’ playoff run to the Class AA state football championship last fall. “Voss brings quickness and a physical presence inside, while Gallagher runs their offense and can either knock down 3s or drive past you.
“I thought we matched up with them well and kept the game close until they went on that pivotal nine-point run midway through the second half. We just couldn’t narrow the gap after that.”
The Huskies also utilized a 9-0 surge to close out the first half to help build a 30-19 edge by intermission before the Cardinals demonstrated their skills by countering with a clutch 13-2 run to open the second segment.
After 6-foot-8 senior center Oliver Tordsen banked home a low-post spin move to inch Fairmont within 21-19 at the 4:30 juncture of the initial half, Weston Rowe nailed one of his game-best four 3-pointers to trigger JCC’s late offensive breakout before halftime. Thomas Liepold sank two free throws before Aiven Farmer cashed in two of Voss’ game-leading seven assists for low-block lay-ins to create the Huskies’ 11-point advantage heading into the lockerroom.
“We made some adjustments at the break and came out with confidence to tie the game at 32 during the first 6 minutes of the second half,” said Thompson, whose lineup closed out the season with a 17-10 overall record.
Tordsen, who finished his outstanding prep hoops career with 10 points, seven boards and three steals, tossed in a half-hook shot off a Nolan Schultze assist before the two Cardinal teammates exchanged roles during the next series. Schultze buried a left-wing 3-pointer off a Tordsen kickout pass before Tordsen’s drop-step low-post basket forced JCC – clinging to a 30-26 lead – to call timeout at the 15:22 juncture.
Rowe, who matched Gallagher with a game-best 16 points, converted one of his game-best nine rebounds into a putback basket for JCC before Schultze and Joe Long dialed long distance on back-to-back trifectas to knot the game at 32-all with 12:35 remaining.
Despite Voss and the Cardinals’ Logan Junkermeier trading 2-pointers to produce the game’s final tie at 34, Voss’ quick-release find of Carson Pohlman for a 15-footer in the lane and Rowe’s 3-pointer helped set the stage for the Huskies’ ensuing 14-2 run.
Junkermeier, who topped Fairmont with 15 points and matched Tordsen with seven boards each, sank two free throws to inch the red-and-white within 39-36 before Gallagher nailed his second trey of the playoff game off a Voss penetrate-and-kick play to fuel a momentum-seizing 9-0 run for JCC. Voss hit a putback basket before Grant Freking tossed in the first of his five second-half runners in traffic to build a 48-36 lead with 8 minutes to go in regulation.
Junkermeier and Brayden Williamson combined for 10 of the Cardinals’ 14 points down the stretch, but the solid effort fell short of a comeback. Williamson contributed seven points off the bench, Schultze finished with nine points, while Hadan Toomer distributed four assists.
Gallagher and Rowe netted 16 points apiece to top a balanced Huskies’ scoring attack, while Voss contributed 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Freking finished with 10 points and three steals, while Farmer chipped in eight points as JCC nearly had all five starters reach double figures in scoring. Farmer also grabbed eight boards, Rowe pulled down nine caroms, while Pohlman and Gallagher led the defense with five and four steals, respectively.
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Fairmont     19-31–50
JCC             30-36–66
FAIRMONT (50)
Tordsen 5-7 0-0 10, Schultze 3-7 0-3 9, Junkermeier 5-9 5-6 15, Hackett 1-3 0-0 2, Toomer 0-6 0-0 0, Maakestad 2-3 0-0 4, Long 1-2 0-0 3, Williamson 2-4 2-2 7, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-42 7-11 50.
JCC (66)
Voss 5-10 0-2 10, Gallagher 6-15 2-4 16, Freking 5-7 0-0 10, Farmer 4-6 0-1 8, Rowe 6-12 0-0 16, Sether 0-3 0-0 0, Liepold 1-4 2-2 4, Pohlman 1-2 0-0 2, Buhl 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 4-9 66.
3-pointers: JCC 6-18 (Rowe 4, Gallagher 2); Fairmont 5-15 (Schultze 3, Long and Williamson 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 27 (Tordsen and Junkermeier 7 each); JCC 23 (Rowe 9, Farmer 8). Assists: JCC 12 (Voss 7); Fairmont 8 (Toomer 4). Steals: JCC 16 (Pohlman 5, Gallagher 4); Fairmont 5 (Tordsen 3).
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Friday night’s Section 3AA boys basketball playoff opener between South Sub-Section No. 4 seed Fairmont and No. 5 seed Windom contained a number of easily-forgettable aspects – a bench warning, a technical foul, an erased free throw, a miniscule trail of blood on the Fairmont hardwood floor and an abysmal combined 19 of 65 shooting from behind the 3-point arc.
Oliver Tordsen’s incredible 26-point, 22-rebound performance, however, will be remembered for numerous future prep basketball seasons as the 6-foot-8 senior center powered the hometown Cardinals to an 82-62 first-round postseason triumph over the Eagles at Cardinal Gym.
Junior post player Logan Junkermeier contributed a double-double of 16 points and 12 boards, Joseph Hackett hit five 3-pointers and Hadan Toomer matched his backcourt teammate with 15 points to guide Fairmont (17-9) into the Section 3 quarterfinals against Class AA No. 6-ranked and South No. 1 seed Jackson County Central (22-4) at 6 PM Tuesday, March 4, in Windom. The Huskies earned a first-round bye.
Quintin Tietz, who delivered a game-best six 3-pointers, netted a game-high 27 points for Windom, which ended its season with a 14-13 overall record.
“Tietz came off the bench to give them instant offense from 3-point range and transformed a back-and-forth game into a 17-9 deficit for us 6 minutes into the game,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson. “Oliver (Tordsen) and Junk (Junkermeier) answered for us in the low blocks before Joseph (Hackett) knocked down a pair of late 3s to swing a 39-31 lead back to us by halftime.”
In fact, the Cardinals’ towers of power followed a Hackett trifecta with a putback basket by Junkermeier and a thundering two-handed dunk by Tordsen via a Joe Long entry pass to knot the score at 20-all with 8 minutes to go in the first half.
Job Ogeka’s power drive and Tietz’s fading 10-footer off a follow shot regained a four-point edge for the Eagles only to have Toomer and Tordsen combine for a 7-0 dynamic surge. Toomer drilled a left-wing 3 before Tordsen twisted and turned in the low blocks for leaners from Toomer and Hackett, respectively.
“Joseph’s pair of 3s during the final minute of the opening half helped us build a 39-31 lead by intermission,” Thompson said in reference to Hackett’s long-distance right-corner shots at the 55- and 21-second junctures, respectively.
Tordsen then proved a model of consistency during the second half to trigger Fairmont’s 43-31 scoring advantage. The senior center, who generated a first-half double-double of 14 points on perfect 7-for-7 field-goal shooting to complement 10 rebounds, added both a dozen points and a dozen rebounds during the final 18 minutes of regulation to seal the home team’s 20-point margin of victory.
“The way Windom can normally shoot 3s, they’re never quite out of it, so you have to be careful not to let them get good looks from behind the arc,” said Thompson.
The Fairmont coach’s words proved prophetic as Jackson Joyce and Ogeka nailed back-to-back treys to narrow the Cardinals’ lead to 60-52 with 7:57 to go in the game. Ironically, Windom netted only 10 of 37 attempts from 3-point range on the playoff game, but made just enough to stay within striking distance.
“Joseph tossed in a 3 and Nolan (Schultze) got another one to fall and we eventually went up by 14 and then maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game,” said Thompson, whose lineup went 33 of 64 overall from the field, with 19 of its 31 misses occurring from 3-point distance.
Tietz’s fifth of six 3-pointers cut Windom’s deficit to 69-59 with 5:42 to go in regulation before Thompson called timeout to regroup. Junkermeier and Tordsen then combined for 12 points during a game-clinching 13-3 run – including a backcourt steal-turned-slam by Tordsen.
Tordsen and Junkermeier each blocked four shots, with Tordsen also collecting three steals and three assists to go with his 26 points and 22 rebounds for the Cardinals. Toomer distributed six assists to go with his 15-point effort.
Ogeka finished with 16 points and three steals for the Eagles, while Elliot Serreyn neared a double-double by scoring nine points and grabbing a team-best 13 rebounds before fouling out at the 3:04 mark.
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Windom        31-31–62
Fairmont       39-43–82
FAIRMONT (82)
Tordsen 13-15 0-0 26, Schultze 1-8 2-2 5, Junkermeier 6-11 4-5 16, Hackett 5-13 0-1 15, Toomer 6-12 1-3 15, Maakestad 1-2 0-0 2, Long 1-3 0-0 3, Williamson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-64 7-11 82.
WINDOM (62)
Serreyn 3-11 3-4 9, Ogeka 7-16 0-3 16, Joyce 2-5 0-0 5, Rossow 1-11 0-0 3, Erickson 1-10 0-0 2, Tietz 10-14 1-2 27, Meyer 0-2 0-0 0, Visker 0-1 0-1 0, Caldwell 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-71 4-10 62.
3-pointers: Windom 10-37 (Tietz 6, Ogeka 2, Joyce and Rossow 1 each); Fairmont 9-28 (Hackett 5, Toomer 2, Schultze and Long 1 each). Fouled out: Serreyn. Rebounds: Fairmont 47 (Tordsen 22, Junkermeier 12); Windom 33 (Serreyn 13). Assists: Fairmont 9 (Toomer 6); Windom 6 (Erickson 3). Steals: Windom 9 (Ogeka 3); Fairmont 6 (Tordsen 3). Bench warning: Windom. Technical foul: Tietz.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Cardinal boys basketball team tuned up for the upcoming playoffs by coasting to a 71-29 regular-season trouncing of the St. Clair Cyclones during a nonconference matchup Tuesday night in St. Clair.
Logan Junkermeier connected for 9 of 15 field-goal shooting to generate a game-leading 21 points to complement pulling down nine rebounds for a near double-double performance for the Cardinals.
Nolan Schultze proved perfect behind the 3-point arc by going 4-for-4 en route to 12 points to go along with three steals for Fairmont, while teammate Oliver Tordsen chalked up a double-double effort by netting 10 points and 10 rebounds to complement distributing a team-high five assists.
Trevor Maakestad contributed seven points to the Cardinals’ winning ways, Joe Long tossed in six points, while Hadan Toomer doled out four assists and pocketed four steals.
Sam Freitag hit a pair of 3-pointers to fuel his eight-point effort to top St. Clair, while teammate Carter Bilitz chipped in six points.
Fairmont (16-9), who merited the No. 4 seed in the South Sub-Section of the Section 3AA tournament, tips off the postseason by playing host to No. 5 seed Windom (14-12) at 7 PM Friday, Feb. 28, at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont in a sectional first-round game.
Fairmont topped Windom by a 95-75 decision during the two Big South Conference teams’ previous meeting on Jan. 14 in Windom.
The winner between Fairmont and Windom advances to face Class AA No. 7-ranked and No. 1 South seed Jackson County Central (22-4) in a 6 PM sectional quarterfinal at a neutral site on Tuesday, March 4. The Huskies earned a first-round bye.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Fairmont junior post player Logan Junkermeier kept the numbers rolling upward on the Cardinals’ side of the scoreboard at Belle Plaine’s basketball gymnasium on Thursday night.
The 6-foot-9 Junkermeier tossed down a game-leading 26 points and grabbed a co-game-best 10 rebounds to help engineer Fairmont’s 74-61 triumph over Big South Conference newcomer Belle Plaine on the Tigers’ hardwood court.
Junkermeier, who connected on 11-for-16 field-goal shooting, played an integral role in the Cardinals salvaging a seasonal split decision with the Tigers. Belle Plaine edged Fairmont by a 66-63 final score during the two teams’ prior meeting on Jan. 21 in Fairmont.
Senior point guard Hadan Toomer made a pair of 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to help pace his 16-point performance for the Cardinals. Toomer also distributed a team-leading six assists, pocketed three steals and pulled down five rebounds.
Senior center Oliver Tordsen also generated a double-double by netting 14 points to complement garnering a co-game-high 10 rebounds, along with dishing out four assists for Fairmont.
Joseph Hackett supplied six points and pocketed three steals for the Cardinals, who built a 39-33 advantage by intermission.
Niklas Tharaldsen tallied 11 of his team-leading 16 points during the first 18 minutes of the game for the Tigers, while Ethan Martin chipped in 12 points. Teddy Traxler finished with eight points for Belle Plaine, while Kelton Koepp added seven points.
Fairmont (15-9) travels to St. Clair on Tuesday, Feb. 25, for a regular-season game, while Belle Plaine (15-8) plays host to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Tuesday night.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Landon Ahrendt accounted for almost half of Luverne’s point production to engineer a 59-42 Big South Conference basketball victory over Fairmont on Tuesday night in Luverne.
Ahrendt, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, delivered a game-leading 27 points – including 15 during the opening half – to help Luverne sweep Fairmont during their two-game regular-season series. Connor Bose’s late tip-in basket fueled Luverne’s 56-55 narrow victory over Fairmont on Jan. 27 at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont.
Junior post player Logan Junkermeier nearly collected a double-double performance to top Fairmont’s effort. The 6-9 Junkermeier delivered a team-best 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting from 2-point range and pulled down nine rebounds.
Oliver Tordsen scored six points for Fairmont, Joseph Hackett supplied five points, Joe Long chipped in four points and distributed three assists, while Hadan Toomer grabbed six rebounds.
Carter Sehr tallied 11 points – including nine during the first half – to complement Ahrendt’s game-best scoring total for Luverne, while Bose contributed nine points to the winning ways.
Fairmont (14-9) travels to conference newcomer Belle Plaine for a regular-season game on Thursday, Feb. 20, while Luverne (16-7) plays host to Minneota in a nonconference game on Thursday night.
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Holden Junkermeier produced a game-best 22 points to steer Fairmont to a 41-35 victory over Luverne during C-squad action Tuesday night in Luverne.
Noah Heckman contributed seven points to Fairmont’s victorious outing.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Fairmont’s towering tandem of 6-foot-9 Logan Junkermeier and 6-8 Oliver Tordsen proved too tall of a task for Pipestone perimeter shooter Tagon Woelber and his Arrow basketball teammates to overcome during Big South Conference action Tuesday night.
Junkermeier neared double-double territory by scoring a team-high 20 points and pulling down a game-best eight rebounds, while Tordsen generated 15 points – including a pair of thundering first-half dunks – to help the visiting Cardinals fend off the Arrows by a 52-50 decision during a battle between Section 3AA foes in Pipestone.
Clinging to a 50-45 lead, Fairmont extended its lead to seven when junior guard Joe Long converted both ends of a pivotal one-and-one situation with 26.7 seconds remaining in regulation. Woelber, who finished with a game-leading 31-point performance, nailed his fifth and final 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to pare the Cardinals’ lead to only four. Pipestone tossed in a late 2-pointer in the waning seconds to trim the final margin in half.
Junkermeier also displayed his defensive skills by pocketing three steals for Fairmont, while Tordsen pulled down seven rebounds and distributed three assists in the winning cause.
Joseph Hackett knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to finish with six points to complement garnering five boards for Fairmont, Hadan Toomer contributed seven rebounds, four points and three assists, while Trevor Maakestad supplied seven boards.
Woelber went 13 of 25 from the field, including his game-best five trifectas, Matt DeBates contributed nine points off the Arrows’ bench, while Makhi Winter chipped in six points.
The Cardinals combined Tordsen’s low-post conversion of a Junkermeier assist with back-to-back Junkermeier’s leaners from the low blocks and Tordsen’s two-handed rim-shaking dunk into a game-opening 8-0 lead, but Woelber’s accurate long-distance shooting kept the Arrows within striking distance throughout the game.
Fairmont (14-8) travels to Luverne on Tuesday, Feb. 18, for another conference game, while Pipestone (9-12) hits the road to Blue Earth Area on Thursday, Feb. 13.
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Fairmont edged Pipestone 56-53 in overtime during B-squad action Tuesday night in Pipestone.
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Holden Junkermeier netted 11 points to help pace Fairmont’s 47-39 victory over Pipestone during C-squad play Tuesday night in Pipestone.
Gavin Schomberg supplied nine points for the Cardinals in their winning effort.

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Cardinals’ tower powers proved too much for the Tri-City United Titans to handle during Friday night’s Big South Conference basketball clash in Montgomery.
Post players Logan Junkermeier and Oliver Tordsen combined for eight more points than the entire Titans team to engineer the visiting Cardinals’ 76-32 rout over one of the league’s newcomers this season.
The 6-foot-9 Junkermeier poured in a game-leading 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field, while the 6-8 Tordsen connected on 7 of 10 shots from the floor to pace his 16-point performance. Tordsen neared double-double territory by grabbing a game-high nine rebounds to complement distributing a game-best five assists and rejecting three of TCU’s shots. Junkermeier added six boards to his game-high scoring effort.
Hadan Toomer made a pair of 3-pointers to fuel his eight-point outing to go with pocketing three steals and doling out three assists for Fairmont, while Joseph Hackett made two 3-pointers to ignite his eight-point performance.
Brayden Williamson supplied five points and three steals for the Cardinals, while Trevor Maakestad contributed seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to the win.
Rafael Balcazar netted 10 points to top TCU.
Fairmont (13-8) travels to Pipestone on Tuesday, Feb. 11, for Game 2 of a varsity doubleheader against the Arrows.
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Carter Hanson generated 18 points to guide Fairmont to a 46-43 triumph over Tri-City United during C-squad action Friday night in Montgomery.
Brayden Pooley contributed seven points to the Cardinals’ effort.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – The St. Peter Saints warmed up the nets in their home gymnasium by connecting for an incredible 15 3-pointers to post an 85-70 victory over the Fairmont Cardinals during Big South Conference basketball action Tuesday night in St. Peter.
Jerry Soderlund pumped in a game-leading seven 3-pointers to pace his 23-point performance for St. Peter, while teammate Owen Potts delivered four more trifectas to ignite his 20-point effort in the win.
Alex Korir nailed three 3-pointers to spark his 11-point outing for the Saints, Carter Dale proved perfect by making 6 of 6 free throws en route to 13 points, while Parker Maloney tossed in 14 more points to the home team’s balanced effort.
Trevor Maakestad made a team-best four trifectas to fuel his team-leading 16-point effort for Fairmont, while Hadan Toomer and Logan Junkermeier each contributed 12 points. Toomer also distributed a team-best six assists, while Junkermeier nearly collected a double-double by pulling down a team-leading nine rebounds on the night.
Oliver Tordsen also approached double-double territory for the Cardinals by scoring 10 points to complement grabbing eight boards. Tordsen also doled out three assists.
Joseph Hackett dialed long distance three times to generate nine points for Fairmont, while teammate Nolan Schultze connected on a pair of treys to account for his six points.
Fairmont (12-8) travels to Montgomery on Friday, Feb. 7, to face conference newcomer Tri-City United, while St. Peter (11-10) hits the road to Class AAA No. 10-ranked Marshall on Friday night.
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St. Peter topped Fairmont in C-squad action, 53-38, Tuesday night in St. Peter.
Carter Hanson scored 10 points to top the Cardinals.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Blue Earth Area scorched the Cardinal Gym nets on 9-for-15 shooting from 3-point range to stay within striking distance of Fairmont during the first half of Friday night’s Big South Conference boys basketball clash.
Hadan Toomer, however, hit a clutch buzzer-beating 3-pointer to snap a 33-all tie at intermission before the hometown Cardinals utilized towering post players Logan Junkermeier and Oliver Tordsen to erupt for an early 12-3 second-half surge and a game-ending 17-4 run to clinch a 71-50 victory over the Bucs in Fairmont.
“Hadan’s shot at the buzzer really swung the momentum back to us to end the first half, and we just pounded the ball inside to our bigs to open up a double-figure lead on Blue Earth (Area) during the first 4 or 5 minutes of the second half,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson. “We also extended our defense and really put pressure out front to keep Blue Earth (Area) from getting open looks from 3 (-point range) and limited them to just 17 points in the second half. That’s quite an accomplishment against a quality team like Blue Earth (Area).”
The Bucs’ Will Bromeland, who topped all scorers with 26 points, drilled his sixth and final 3-pointer to knot the game at 36 to start the second half, but Junkermeier and Tordsen countered by combining for 12 points – with Branson Hauskins’ trifecta interrupting the surge for Blue Earth Area during the ensuing 5 minutes.
“Our bigs did a nice job of sharing the basketball with each other by running a perfect high-low post strategy,” said Thompson.
Junkermeier, who produced 20 points, sank a pair of free throws before hitting back-to-back leaning throw-downs from the blocks off two of Tordsen’s three assists. Tordsen then delivered two of his team-leading 22 points off an elevated running one-hander in the lane at the 15-minute juncture.
Hauskins converted one of Gage Barker’s team-best four assists for a 3 for the Bucs only to have Tordsen bank home a reverse lay-in off a Junkermeier entry pass before the 6-foot-8 duo traded roles for a basket and 48-39 lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Bromeland weaved through traffic to hit a runner and teammate Sullivan Dahlberg knocked down a 3-pointer to inch the Bucs within 54-46 with 7 minutes to go, but Nolan Schultze and Toomer answered the challenge by tossing in back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite the Cardinals’ 16-0 offensive avalanche to put the game out of reach.
Tordsen neared double-double territory by grabbing a game-high eight rebounds to complement his 22-point effort for the Cardinals, while Toomer collected nine points to go with game-leading totals of four steals and five assists. Joseph Hackett chipped in nine points, three steals and three assists.
Barker finished with eight points, while Dahlberg and Hauskins tallied six points apiece for the Bucs, who generated 72 percent of their point production from 3-point range.
Fairmont (12-7) hits the road to St. Peter on Tuesday, Feb. 4, while Blue Earth Area (8-11) travels to Sherburn on Thursday, Feb. 6, to face Martin County West.
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B.E. Area      33-17–50
Fairmont      36-35–71
FAIRMONT (71)
Tordsen 10-11 2-4 22, Schultze 1-4 0-0 3, Junkermeier 8-10 4-6 20, Hackett 3-7 0-0 9, Toomer 3-8 1-2 9, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Maakestad 1-4 0-0 3, Williamson 2-4 0-0 5, Hecht 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 28-50 7-13 71.
B.E. AREA (50)
Bromeland 9-18 2-2 26, Dahlberg 2-5 0-0 6, Barker 3-5 0-0 8, Juba 0-1 0-0 0, Grandgenett 0-1 0-0 0, Hauskins 2-4 0-0 6, Fletcher 1-1 0-0 2, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Gomez 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-36 2-2 50.
3-pointers: Blue Earth Area 12-25 (Bromeland 6; Dahlberg, Barker and Hauskins 2 each); Fairmont 8-23 (Hackett 3; Toomer 2; Schultze, Maakestad and Williamson 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 23 (Tordsen 8); BEA 19 (Anderson 5). Assists: Fairmont 19 (Toomer 5, Junkermeier 4); BEA 9 (Barker 4). Steals: Fairmont 8 (Toomer 4, Hackett 3); BEA 3.
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By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Luverne junior Connor Bose’s backside putback basket with 1 second remaining proved the difference in a key Section 3AA and Big South Conference basketball clash between the visiting Cardinals and Fairmont’s hometown Cardinals on Monday night.
Bose’s third and fourth points of the game off teammate Coy Thone’s tip of Landon Ahrendt’s late miss in the low post helped Luverne net a 56-55 victory over Fairmont in an edge-of-the-bleachers thriller.
“That’s the difference one or two bounces can make in a game,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson, whose lineup upended Class AA No. 4-ranked Jackson County Central, 40-38, three nights earlier in Jackson when a Huskies’ putback at the buzzer caromed in and out of the rim. “The bottom line is that we can’t put ourselves in a situation where a late bounce can beat us. We just couldn’t get a rebound when we needed to and give them (Luverne) credit, they kept scrambling all the way to the end of the game.
“The crowd saw two good teams play tonight, and I’m sure we’ll have another one the next time we play.”
In a showdown of sectional rivals that featured 10 lead changes and four ties, Oliver Tordsen’s two-handed dunk off Logan Junkermeier’s lobbed assist to break Luverne’s full-court defensive pressure inched Fairmont within 47-44 with 9:15 remaining in regulation to ignite a back-and-forth stretch run.
The 6-foot-8 Tordsen and 6-9 Junkermeier worked the high-low strategy to perfection to close within one point nearly 2 minutes later before Thone connected for a countering low-post basket off a Carter Sehr drive-and-dish play to cling to a 49-46 Luverne lead.
Nolan Schultze’s baseline drive and 2-pointer off a Joseph Hackett pass reduced Fairmont’s deficit to one at the 6-minute juncture before Ahrendt sank a solo free throw for Luverne. Tordsen, who finished with a team-best 19 points, sank a charity toss before getting an inward roll off the rim on a runner to swing a 51-50 lead to Fairmont at the 3:50 mark.
Sehr, who generated a game-leading 23 points on the strength of five 3-pointers, utilized one of his six thefts to answer for Luverne as the senior guard drove end-to-end for a layup and recaptured the lead for the visitors at 52-51 and caused Luverne to call timeout at the 3:26 juncture.
Junkermeier, who produced a double-double of 17 points and a game-best 11 rebounds, flip-flopped a one-point lead back to Fairmont with a spinning move into the paint and ensuing left-handed floater with 3 minutes to go.
Junkermeier’s baseline basket off one of Tordsen’s three assists extended Fairmont’s margin to three with 1:18 remaining, but Fairmont could not add to its point total. Elijah Woodley converted a low-post leaner off an Ahrendt assist to inch Luverne within 55-54 with only 53 seconds to go.
Fairmont’s scrappy defense knocked the basketball out-of-bounds and later fouled Luverne with 15 seconds to go -- two fouls shy of the bonus -- only to have Luverne retain possession and call timeout with 5 seconds to go before Bose’s late heroics.
Hadan Toomer distributed a game-high six assists for Fairmont, while Trevor Maakestad contributed three steals and four blocked shots.
Ahrendt contributed 11 points and seven boards to Luverne’s winning ways, Woodley chipped in eight points and eight rebounds, while Bose distributed a team-best five assists to go with his game-winning field goal.
Fairmont (11-7) plays host to Blue Earth Area on Friday, Jan. 31, at Cardinal Gym, while Luverne (12-5) plays host to Southwest Minnesota Christian on Thursday, Jan. 30.
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Luverne      29-27–56
Fairmont    29-26–55
FAIRMONT (55)
Tordsen 7-9 5-7 19, Schultze 2-10 0-0 5, Junkermeier 7-11 3-4 17, Hackett 2-8 0-0 6, Toomer 1-5 0-2 2, Maakestad 0-3 1-2 1, Brett Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Brayden Williamson 1-4 0-0 3, Long 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-52 9-15 55.
LUVERNE (56)
Bose 2-4 0-0 4, Sehr 8-14 2-2 23, Johnson 3-5 0-0 6, Ahrendt 4-15 3-4 11, Woodley 4-8 0-2 8, Thone 2-2 0-0 4, DeBates 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-49 5-8 56.
3-pointers: Luverne 5-12 (Sehr 5); Fairmont 4-19 (Hackett 2, Schultze and Williamson 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Luverne 31 (Woodley 8); Fairmont 25 (Junkermeier 11). Assists: Fairmont 14 (Toomer 6, Tordsen and Junkermeier 3 each); Luverne 10 (Bose 5). Steals: Fairmont 9 (Maakestad 3); Luverne 9 (Sehr 6). Blocked shots: Maakestad 4.
…
Merritt Pomerenke tossed in 13 points to guide Fairmont to a 45-40 B-squad victory over Luverne on Monday night in Fairmont.
Reed Johnson contributed 11 points to Fairmont’s winning ways, while Jordan Thompson chipped in nine points.
…
Noah Heckman tallied 16 points to pace Fairmont’s 49-39 triumph over Luverne during Monday’s C-squad game in Fairmont.
Holden Junkermeier supplied 12 points for Fairmont, while Wyatt Healey added 10 points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson made two changes to his basketball rotation Friday night and the final result proved a two-point triumph over Class AA No. 4-ranked and Section 3 rival Jackson County Central on the Huskies’ home hardwood court.
Junior post player Logan Junkermeier, who missed the first seven games of 2025 with a wrist injury, returned to the Cardinals’ starting lineup, while junior guard Joseph Hackett switched roles by coming off the visitors’ bench as the ‘sixth man.’
The 6-foot-9 Junkermeier collected 11 points and seven rebounds, 6-8 post player Oliver Tordsen delivered six points and a team-best 11 boards, while the H-factors – Hackett and senior point guard Hadan Toomer – combined for 18 points, seven steals and six assists to pace Fairmont’s 40-38 grind-it-out win over Jackson County Central in Jackson.
“Tonight was a story of two very good defensive teams fighting to the very end in a low-scoring game,” said Thompson, whose lineup handed the Huskies just their second loss in 16 games this season and avenged a 52-49 loss on Dec. 20 in Fairmont. “Our guys hustled after every loose basketball and every long rebound down the stretch to erase a six-point deficit with nearly 8 minutes left in the game.”
After Mason Foster hit a running one-hander in the paint to stake the Huskies to a 35-29 lead, Toomer hit a solo free throw before gliding in mid-air for one of his patented layups off a Nolan Schultze steal-turned-assist to narrow the Cardinals’ gap to only three.
Following JCC head coach Alex Hein’s timeout at the 6:22 mark, Toomer connected for the final two of his team-best 12 points when Brayden Williamson spotted his teammate filling the fastbreak lane for another layup off the window to inch Fairmont within one.
Hackett, who had missed his prior three 3-point attempts Friday night, snapped the nets on a left-wing trifecta off a Toomer assist to swing a 37-35 lead to the Cardinals with 5 ½ minutes to go in regulation. Hackett, who finished with six points to complement four assists and a game-high four steals, swooshed another clutch 3-pointer off Tordsen’s kick-out pass from the post to widen Fairmont’s lead to 40-35 with 4:33 to go.
“Joseph made a couple of pivotal 3s for us during the final 6 minutes, and then we managed to hold off the Huskies for the two-point win,” said Thompson, whose team improved to 11-6 overall. “Oddly enough, neither team scored during the final 2 ½ minutes of regulation on the heels of a 3-pointer by (Thomas) Sether from the top of the key.”
Clinging to a two-point margin, Fairmont inbounded the ball with 16.2 seconds remaining in the game, but only 6 seconds left on the shot clock. Sether garnered a steal, pushed the basketball up court and the game’s leading scorer – Grant Freking – fired a 3-pointer that missed, with teammate Aiven Farmer rebounding it along the baseline. Farmer’s putback attempt rattled around the rim and out as the buzzer sounded.
Freking scored eight of his game-best 14 points during the initial 18 minutes of regulation to stake JCC to a 21-17 lead by intermission. The 6-5 senior point forward completed a double-double by grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds to complement pocketing three steals and doling out three assists.
Weston Rowe neared a double-double performance for the Huskies by scoring 11 points to go with pulling down nine boards.
Schultze co-led the Cardinals with Hackett by distributing four assists, Toomer chipped in three steals, while Trevor Maakestad blocked three shots.
Fairmont plays host to Luverne on Monday night, Jan. 27, while No. 4-ranked Jackson County Central (14-2) hits the road to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Monday night for a nonconference game.
…
Fairmont     17-23–40
JCC              21-17–38
FAIRMONT (40)
Tordsen 3-12 0-0 6, Schultze 1-6 0-0 3, Junkermeier 5-6 0-0 11, Long 0-1 0-0 0, Toomer 5-13 1-2 12, Hackett 2-6 0-0 6, Maakestad 1-3 0-0 2, Brayden Williamson 0-2 0-0 0, Brett Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-49 1-2 40.
JCC (38)
Pohlman 0-3 0-0 0, Freking 6-20 0-0 14, Farmer 2-6 0-2 5, Sether 1-5 0-0 3, W. Rowe 5-8 0-0 11, Buhl 0-1 0-0 0, Foster 1-3 0-0 2, B. Rowe 0-1 0-0 0, Liepold 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 16-47 1-6 38.
3-pointers: Fairmont 5-12 (Hackett 2; Schultze, Junkermeier and Toomer 1 each); JCC 5-18 (Freking 2; Farmer, Sether and W. Rowe 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: JCC 37 (Freking 12, W. Rowe 9); Fairmont 29 (Tordsen 11, Junkermeier 7). Assists: Fairmont 13 (Hackett and Schultze 4 each); JCC 10 (Freking 3). Steals: Fairmont 11 (Hackett 4); JCC 7 (Freking 3).
…
Jackson County Central topped Fairmont in C-squad action, 55-27, Friday night in Jackson.
Gavin Schomberg scored six points to top the Cardinals.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Two of the best unranked boys basketball teams in southern Minnesota, featuring two of the state’s top post players, battled right down to the wire on a frigid Tuesday night in Fairmont.
Oliver Tordsen, the Cardinals’ 6-foot-8 senior center, produced an impressive double-double of a team-high 27 points and game-best 11 rebounds, but visiting Tigers’ 6-5 power forward Ethan Martin answered with a game-leading 35 points and team-high 10 boards – and the game-clinching steal on Fairmont’s inbound play with 2.3 seconds to go – to top Belle Plaine’s 66-63 Big South victory at Cardinal Gym.
“We’re a pair of teams with 10 wins apiece coming into tonight’s game, with each of missing a couple of our key players due to injury or illness,” said Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson. “Even though we lost by three, that was a great basketball game and it should help us get even better. We’re looking forward to playing them the second time around later this season.”
Tordsen generated a dozen of Fairmont’s initial 16 points to keep the score within one at the 5-minute mark before Martin and Ted Traxler later drained back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite Belle Plaine’s 8-3 run to force a Thompson timeout at the 2:13 juncture.
“Belle Plaine did a great job of packing in their defense against Oliver in the low post, so it was pivotal when Nolan (Schultze) knocked down three consecutive 3s right out of the timeout to open up the inside,” said Thompson, whose lineup made only 8 of 28 shots from behind the bonus arc.
Schultze, who delivered 16 points and a team-best five steals, swooshed the last of his three 3s in a row to swing a 28-27 lead to Fairmont at the 1-minute mark before Hadan Toomer chipped in a steal and end-to-end layup over the front of the rim 12 seconds later.
Joseph Petersen connected for his lone two points of the game in traffic to claw the Tigers within 30-29 by intermission.
Martin produced nine of Belle Plaine’s first 22 points of the second half, while Tordsen countered by tossing in 10 of Fairmont’s 15 points only to see the Tigers scratch out a 51-45 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
Martin, who’s only a junior, reeled off eight of the Tigers’ ensuing 10-0 surge to build a 16-point lead – the visitors’ largest of the game. Toomer, who finished with 10 points and a co-team-best five assists, and the Cardinals answered with an immediate 13-0 offensive run to inch within 61-58 with 4 minutes to go. Toomer hit a floating one-hander in the lane before draining a 3-pointer off one of Joseph Hackett’s co-team-high five assists. Brayden Williamson snapped the nets on a right-corner trifecta before Schultze nailed his fourth and final trey to create a one-possession game.
Martin, however, converted a one-and-one situation before Niklas Tharaldson sank a clutch 3 to build an eight-point lead for Belle Plaine. Tordsen delivered an ‘and-1’ 3-point play and Schultze capped a steal with two free throws to narrow Fairmont’s deficit to 66-63 with 22 seconds to go.
Fairmont regained possession on a Belle Plaine missed free throw, but Martin garnered the steal on the Cardinals’ inbound play with 2.3 seconds remaining to ice the win.
Josh Sparby distributed a game-high six assists and pocketed three steals for the Tigers, while Tharaldson chipped in eight points.
Fairmont (10-6) travels to Class AA No. 4-ranked Jackson County Central on Friday night for Game 2 of a varsity doubleheader, while Belle Plaine (11-2) hits the road to Class AAA No. 10-ranked Marshall on Friday night.
…
Belle Plaine     29-37–66
Fairmont          30-33–63
FAIRMONT (63)
Tordsen 10-15 7-9 27, Schultze 5-15 2-2 16, Long 1-6 0-1 2, Hackett 0-4 0-0 0, Toomer 4-12 0-0 10, Brett Williams 1-3 0-0 2, Brayden Williamson 1-1 0-0 3, Harvey 1-1 0-0 3, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-57 9-12 63.
BELLE PLAINE (66)
Traxler 5-8 1-1 14, Martin 11-19 9-10 35, K. Koepp 2-4 0-0 4, Sparby 0-3 3-6 3, Tharaldson 3-8 0-0 8, Petersen 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-44 13-17 66.
3-pointers: Belle Plaine 9-16 (Martin 4, Traxler 3, Tharaldson 2); Fairmont 8-28 (Schultze 4, Toomer 2, Harvey and Brayden Williamson 1 each). Fouled out: K. Koepp. Rebounds: Belle Plaine 31 (Martin 10); Fairmont 26 (Tordsen 11). Assists: Fairmont 18 (Hackett and Toomer 5 each); Belle Plaine 14 (Sparby 6, Traxler 4). Steals: Fairmont 13 (Schultze 5, Tordsen and Toomer 3 each); Belle Plaine 8 (Martin and Sparby 3 each).
…
Reed Johnson poured in 17 points to help guide Fairmont to a 59-54 overtime win over Belle Plaine during B-squad action Tuesday night at Cardinal Gym.
Jordan Thompson tossed in 10 points for the Cardinals, Joey Crissinger and Josh Soelter contributed eight points apiece, while Tavian Harvey added six points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Senior guard Cooper Mensink collected a game-high 16 points to guide the Class AAA No. 10-ranked Marshall Tigers to a 61-42 victory over the Fairmont Cardinals during Big South Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon in Marshall.
Senior post player Oliver Tordsen added another double-double performance to his seasonal highlights by producing game-highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds to pace Fairmont’s effort, while senior forward Nolan Schultze contributed 11 points.
Brayden Williamson supplied six points for the Cardinals, Joe Long tallied five points and made three steals, Hadan Toomer distributed four assists, while Joseph Hackett added three points.
Freshman forward Oliver Voigt contributed 10 points to Marshall’s winning ways, while Levi Maeyaert added seven points.
Fairmont (10-5) plays host to conference newcomer Belle Plaine (10-2) on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont, while Marshall (12-3) hits the road to Worthington on Tuesday night.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – Fairmont senior center Oliver Tordsen continued his rim-reverberating ways to post a game-best double-double, the Cardinals’ perimeter players drained 9 of 19 attempts from 3-point range and head coach Jared Thompson dug up an old playbook for Friday night’s basketball game.
The 6-foot-8 Tordsen generated 20 points – including four more slam dunks – and pulled down a dozen boards, while Nolan Schultze, Joseph Hackett, Joe Long and Tavian Harvey scorched the Cardinals Gym nets to account for 27 of their combined 33 points to power Fairmont to a 65-48 Big South Conference win over the Worthington Trojans.
“Our lack of depth within the ‘bigs’ caused me to revert back to an offense that we ran a couple of seasons ago,” said Thompson, whose roster was without the hardwood court skills of 6-8 Logan Junkermeier, 6-6 Trevor Maakestad and 6-3 Harmon Schrunk due to injuries. “Despite a shortened bench, our starters and reserves really stepped up their respective games tonight as we pulled away during the final 5 minutes of regulation.”
Despite only two wins in 13 prior games, Jacari Swinea and the visiting Trojans made a legitimate bid to prevent the Cardinals from netting their 10th victory of the season Friday night in Fairmont. Swinea generated 13 of his team-leading 17 points during the opening 18-minute session that featured seven lead changes and two ties – with the last one 35-all at intermission.
Trailing 33-30, Hackett buried his third and final trey of the night off one of Hadan Toomer’s game-best 10 assists to draw the Cardinals even on the scoreboard only to watch Swinea gain possession of a loose carom and work the baseline for the go-ahead leaner with 10 seconds remaining.
Long then doled out one of his eight assists to Brett Williams for a baseline basket to tie the game again with only 2 seconds to go before intermission.
“We know Worthington is athletic and their record is not indicative of how they’re capable of playing any given night,” said Thompson. “I thought we changed the momentum in our direction by doing a better job of rebounding (an 18-12 edge) during the second half and our defense limited their looks at the basket (20 field-goal attempts).
“Oliver (Tordsen) really took over down low in the paint and Brett (Williams) gave us a much-needed presence inside, too.”
After Toomer reeled off six points and Tordsen stuffed home his fourth and final dunk to help Fairmont build a 46-39 lead during the second half’s early stages, Welbaka Morke’s 3-pointer midway through the second half inched Worthington within 46-44.
Tordsen and Long combined equally for the Cardinals’ ensuing eight points only to watch as Caleb Meyer’s baseline bank shots whittled the Trojans’ gap to 54-48 with 5 ½ minutes to go.
Schultze, who finished with 12 points on the strength of four 3s, hit a trifecta to serve as the key catalyst behind Fairmont’s game-capping 11-0 run before Long spotted Williams for a low-post leaner. Tordsen then closed out the game by utilizing a step-through one-hander and back-to-back low-post baskets to put the game in the win column for the Cardinals.
Hackett hit three 3s to fuel his 11-point effort for Fairmont, Long hit one trey to finish with seven points, Williams supplied six points and eight rebounds, while Toomer added six points and three steals to his 10-assist performance.
Meyer finished with nine points for the Trojans, Swinea grabbed seven rebounds, Morke collected a team-best four assists to go with six points, while Isaiah Schroeder grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Fairmont (10-4) travels to Marshall today for a 2:30 PM tipoff against the Class AAA No. 10-ranked Tigers in Game 2 of a girls-boys varsity doubleheader at Marshall High School.
…
Worthington     35-13–48
Fairmont          35-30–65
FAIRMONT (65)
Tordsen 10-16 0-0 20, Schultze 4-6 0-0 12, Long 3-4 0-0 7, Hackett 4-11 0-0 11, Toomer 3-8 0-0 6, Williams 3-7 0-0 6, Harvey 1-1 0-0 3, Soelter 0-1 0-0 0, Williamson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-55 0-0 65.
WORTHINGTON (48)
Swinea 8-14 1-1 17, Meyer 4-15 0-0 9, Schroeder 2-2 0-0 4, Morke 2-9 0-0 6, Okony 2-2 0-0 4, Gach 2-5 0-0 5, Meinders 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 21-49, 1-1 48.
3-pointers: Fairmont 9-19 (Schultze 4, Hackett 3, Long and Harvey 1 each); Worthington 5-17 (Morke 2; Meyer, Gach and Meinders 1 each). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Fairmont 33 (Tordsen 12, Williams 8); Worthington 26 (Schroeder 8). Assists: Fairmont 20 (Toomer 10, Long 8); Worthington 7 (Morke 4). Steals: Fairmont 7 (Toomer 3); Worthington 4.
…
Reed Johnson hit the game-winning 2-pointer off an assist from Brayden Williamson to propel Fairmont to a 53-51 decision over Worthington during B-squad action Friday night in Fairmont.
Johnson finished with 16 points, while Williamson and Josh Soelter each tallied 10 points.
…
Worthington edged Fairmont in C-squad action, 52-50, Friday night in Fairmont.
Wyatt Healey scored 14 points to top the Cardinals, while Carter Hanson contributed 13 points.
[EXTERNAL]

By Charlie Sorrells
Fairmont Basketball Association Contributor

FAIRMONT – “I can truly say that’s a first in my basketball coaching career,” said Fairmont mentor Jared Thompson. “At no time have I ever had six players score in double figures in the same game.
“Incredible.”
Hadan Toomer, Oliver Tordsen, Joe Long, Joseph Hackett, Nolan Schultze and Harmon Schrunk generated 20, 19, 17, 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively, to power the Cardinals to a season’s-best total of 95 and a 20-point margin of victory over the Windom Eagles on Tuesday night at The Nest in Windom.
“We just shot the lights out, especially from 3-point range tonight,” said Thompson, whose lineup blistered the nets on 38 of 61 field goals overall for 62 percent – highlighted by a 15-for-23 performance behind the bonus arc for a sizzling 65 percent. “We made seven 3s in the first half to lead by just two at halftime (50-48), but our defense really picked up its intensity to hold Windom to only 27 points in the second half and under 80 (75) for the game.”
Ironically, the hometown Eagles utilized the 3-point arc to build an early 20-10 lead behind the net-snapping shooting of Charles Erickson, Job Ogeka and Quintin Tietz only to see Schultze, Hackett, Toomer and Long answer in kind.
Trailing 22-16, Long nailed the first of his four trifectas, Schultze sank two free throws and Hackett’s right-corner 3-pointer off a Brett Williams assist swung the lead to Fairmont for the first time since 2-0. After Ogeka tossed in two of his 20 points to help the Eagles knot the game later at 26-all, Schultze drilled two of his three 3s and Hackett contributed another one of his game-leading five trifectas to grab a nine-point lead for the Cardinals.
Erickson and Ogeka countered again with their long-distance field goals to help produce ties at 40, 42, 44 and 46, while Tordsen and Schrunk answered by pounding the paint with a barrage of 2-pointers, including a thunderous two-handed dunk by Tordsen with 1:40 left in the first half.
Hackett, Long and Toomer dialed long distance, while Tordsen and Schrunk handled the low-post scoring to spark Fairmont’s 15-1 offensive avalanche during the second half’s early stages to build a formidable lead at 66-50 with 12 minutes remaining.
Tordsen, who finished with a double-double of 19 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, hammered another dunk with 4 ½ minutes left to leave little doubt about the final outcome with Fairmont extending its lead to 83-64.
Toomer and Long each distributed team-bests of six assists, while Tordsen and Schrunk doled out three helpers for the Cardinals. Toomer also chipped in a game-best four steals to complement his co-game-high 20 points.
Ogeka collected three assists and three steals to go with his 20-point effort for the Eagles, Erickson finished with a game-high seven assists to complement 14 points, Elliot Serreyn supplied 13 points and seven rebounds, while Tietz nailed four 3s to pace his 14-point outing off the bench.
Fairmont (9-4) plays host to Worthington on Friday, Jan. 17, while Windom (7-7) plays host to Cedar Mountain on Saturday, Jan. 18.
…
Fairmont     50-45–95
Windom      48-27–75
FAIRMONT (95)
Tordsen 9-10 1-2 19, Maakestad 0-1 0-0 0, Long 6-8 1-1 17, Hackett 5-9 0-0 15, Toomer 9-17 0-0 20, Schrunk 5-8 0-1 10, Schultze 3-6 2-2 11, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Soelter 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 38-61 4-6 95.
WINDOM (75)
Ogeka 7-10 4-4 20, Joyce 1-2 0-0 3, Rossow 0-5 0-0 0, Erickson 5-10 0-0 14, Serreyn 5-8 3-8 13, Tietz 5-9 0-0 14, Meyer 1-2 0-0 2, Visker 1-1 0-0 3, Redman 0-0 1-2 1, Steffen 2-2 0-0 5. Totals 27-49 8-14 75.
3-pointers: Fairmont 15-23 (Hackett 5; Long 4; Schultze 3; Toomer 2; Jackson 1); Windom 13-26 (Erickson and Tietz 4 each; Ogeka 2; Joyce, Visker and Steffen 1 each). Rebounds: Fairmont 23 (Tordsen 10); Windom 20 (Serreyn 7). Assists: Fairmont 18 (Long and Toomer 6 each); Windom 10 (Erickson 7). Steals: Fairmont 10 (Toomer 4); Windom 5 (Ogeka 3).
[EXTERNAL]

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.
...
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.
…
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.
…
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.
…
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.
…
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).
…
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.
…
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.
…
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).
…
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.
…
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).
…
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.
…
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.
…
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