TOSSING IN TWO — Fairmont’s Brylee Miller (with basketball) maneuvers around Blue Earth Area’s Katherine Armon (1) for a bucket during Big South Conference action Monday night at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. The Bucs’ Lola Lundquist (back left), Carol Schrader (back right) and Chloe Groe (23) watch the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — “Unselfish basketball,” Fairmont head girls basketball coach Sara Junkermeier said in perfectly describing her Cardinals’ 49-point margin of victory on Monday night.

Brylee Miller produced game-bests of 18 points, seven assists and four steals, while teammate Nevaeh Rahm delivered a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to power Fairmont’s 66-17 Big South Conference triumph over the Blue Earth Area Bucs at Cardinal Gym.

“We (coaching staff) were impressed with the fact that there wasn’t a letdown when we brought our girls off the bench,” added Junkermeier. “They played with the same intensity as our starters, and we had a true ‘team win’ tonight.”

Ten of the 15 Cardinal players to hit the hardwood court reached the scoring column, nine different hoopsters garnered at least one steal and eight teammates distributed at least one assist.

Miller and the basketball-hawking Fairmont full-court defense turned up the pressure during the early stages of the game to trigger a 10-0 run.

Ironically, 6-foot senior center Sophia Keister converted a Lola Lundquist assist into a low-post basket to stake Blue Earth Area to a 2-0 lead before Miller generated eight of the Cardinals’ ensuing double-figure run.

Lundquist, who finished with seven points, tossed in a left-wing runner to halt Fairmont’s scoring streak at 10-4 before Miller’s steal-turned-assist to Kate Busche served as the catalyst behind the home team’s incredible 25-0 offensive avalanche.

Busche swooshed a top-of-the-key 3-pointer, Miller worked the offensive glass for a putback and Miller threaded the needle on a pass to a cutting Ava Terfehr for a 10-foot runner.

Hope Klanderud then returned the favor to Miller by firing an assist to the Fairmont freshman for a low-post lay-in. Grace Pendergast tossed in a baseline leaner before Olivia Ortega reached the assist column by driving and dishing to a slashing Miller for two more points.

Jazlyn Geerdes’ screen-and-scoop play to a cutting Olivia Ortega widened Fairmont’s margin to 25-4 and forced a Blue Earth Area timeout at the 6:24 juncture of the first half.

Rahm then reeled off 10 unanswered points inside the paint to build an insurmountable 35-4 lead.

Keister tossed in a 12-foot turnaround from the baseline off one of Katherine Armon’s assists to end the Bucs’ scoring drought at the 3:30 mark, but Miller’s steal-turned-layup and Terfehr’s 3-pointer countered.

Keister hit a baseline fadeaway jumper with a minute and a half left in the opening half to finish with six points. Keister, who’s battling back from an injury, topped all defenders by rejecting four shots in the first half before sitting out the second segment.

Pendergast contributed eight points to the Cardinals’ winning ways, Olivia Ortega supplied six points and three assists, Terfehr tallied five points, while Ellie Ortega netted four points and pulled down eight boards. Geerdes added four points and three assists.

Fairmont (6-4) plays host to Worthington at 7:15 p.m. tonight back at Cardinal Gym, while Blue Earth Area (4-8) plays host to Martin County West on Thursday night in Trimont.

B.E. Area      8     9 — 17

Fairmont     44  22 — 66

FAIRMONT (66)

K. Busche 1-2 0-0 3, O. Ortega 3-6 0-2 6, Rahm 6-12 2-3 14, Pendergast 3-4 2-2 8, Miller 9-12 0-0 18, Klanderud 0-7 0-0 0, E. Ortega 2-4 0-0 4, Terfehr 2-4 0-0 5, Geerdes 2-4 0-0 4, Ehlert 0-0 0-2 0, A. Busche 0-2 0-0 0, Peyman 1-1 0-0 2, Reyes 0-0 0-2 0, Anderson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 30-61 4-11 66.

B.E. AREA (17)

Keister 3-5 0-1 6, Groe 0-3 0-0 0, Gaydon 0-1 0-0 0, Lundquist 3-10 0-2 7, Armon 1-2 0-5 2, Ferguson 1-2 0-0 2, Schrader 0-2 0-0 0, Allis 0-3 0-2 0, Moore 0-2 0-0 0, Becker 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 8-30 0-11 17.

3-pointers: Fairmont 2-6 (K. Busche and Terfehr 1 each); BEA 1-11 (Lundquist 1). Rebounds: Fairmont 38 (Rahm 12, E. Ortega 8); BEA 13 (Keister and Allis 3 each). Steals: Fairmont 18 (Miller 4); BEA 5. Assists: Fairmont 19 (Miller 7, Geerdes and O. Ortega 3 each); BEA 3. Blocked shots: BEA 4 (Keister 4).

Madi Peyman swooshed the go-ahead and eventual game-winning 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in regulation to fuel Fairmont’s 32-29 victory over Blue Earth Area during C-squad action Monday night in Fairmont.

Kayla Lowry scored 11 points to pace the Cardinals, while McKenna Pierce contributed seven points.