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Cardinals secure 52-44 victory over NRHEG

ABOVE: Fairmont's Brylee Miller drives the paint looking for a shot during a girl's basketball game against New Richland Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Tuesday night at home.

FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Cardinals opened their season with a 52-44 win over New Richland Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva on Tuesday in a nonconference girls basketball game.

Despite getting off to a slow start, a quick adjustment helped the Cardinals find their footing to propel them out in front on the scoreboard.

“Well, I just think with it being our first game, we were back on our heels,” said Fairmont girls head basketball coach Sara Junkermeier. “Once we called a timeout … [we] told the kids that we need to be more aggressive in our attack and attacking the rim.

“Then it opened it up a little bit more, where they were willing to do that, and cut harder and be more aggressive and strong with our passing. And all of those things just made a big difference down the road and with the looks that we had.”

Leading the Cardinals was Brylee Miller, who went 8 for 13 for 29 points while adding six rebounds. Kennedy Becker went 4 for 5 for 14 points and added five rebounds, while Ellie Ortega had 7 points and two rebounds. Makayla Lowry put up 7 points and added two rebounds.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start, falling behind 8-3 early as NRHEG’s Camryn Vanmaldeghem opened the scoring by drawing an early foul, hitting both free throws before driving the net for another 2 points. Miller drained her shot from inside the paint before Emelia Klanderud sank a free throw. NRHEG continued to apply pressure, taking a 10-3 lead prompting a Fairmont timeout.

Coming out of the huddle, the Cardinals adjusted, becoming more aggressive on offense and getting the ball to the rim. A Miller drive to the net kicked off a 6-0 run courtesy of Gwyneth Schultz and Becker combining for 5 points off of six free throws. Makayla Lowry then hit a long jumper to give the Cardinals their first lead of the night, 11-10. The Cardinals continued to apply pressure to the NRHEG defense, with Ortega draining a shot from just inside the arc to put Fairmont up 15-12. The Cardinal attack continued to draw fouls and continued their push and took a 25-17 lead into halftime.

NRHEG adjusted after that, beginning to take more of its shots from a longer range as the Cardinals were successful in shutting down the inside shooting lanes. The Cardinals continued to add to their lead with the help of Becker draining a shot from the outside, going up 34-22. The two teams continued to exchange baskets until NRHEG went on a 7-0 run cutting the Cardinals lead to 5 points.

The Cardinals did not surrender the lead, however, only allowing NRHEG to pull within 2 points at 44-42, aided by an Izley Boerner 3-pointer. The Cardinals responded with an 8-0 run to extend the lead back to 10, 52-42, as the game entered its final moments. The Cardinals gave up 2 points before gaining possession and running out the clock securing the win.

Despite the early comeback and holding on for the win, Junkermeier said there are still things to work on in order to remain consistent.

“We definitely noticed some things that we need to work on,” said Junkermeier. “Things that are fundamental skills that are just going to make us better down the road. I think when you start identifying those things and talking about them more regularly, it just becomes something that we consistently do.”

The Cardinals’ next game is home against Lake-Crystal Wellcome Memorial at 7:15 p.m. on Dec 3.

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