Abi Peyman

FAIRMONT — The 2023-24 Fairmont Cardinal girls basketball team established the program’s single-game record for 17 made 3-pointers in a regular-season victory over Jackson County Central on Jan. 2 in Fairmont.

Not only were the sharpshooting Cardinals known for their perimeter prowess behind the bonus arc, Fairmont delivered from 3-point range in the classroom, too.

Fairmont’s girls basketball team captured a state silver academic award by generating a collective GPA of 3.689. Senior hoopsters Elayna Anderson, Hope Klanderud, Grace Pendergast, Abi Peyman, Nevaeh Rahm and Ava Terfehr all merited academic all-state honors to truly fit the definition of a student-athlete for the Cardinals.

Fairmont head coach Sara Junkermeier modestly eclipsed the 100-win career coaching mark during the latter stages of the winter campaign en route to garnering the Section 3AA Coach of the Year award.

Terfehr, Rahm and Pendergast also collected more postseason accolades and were joined by sophomore Brylee Miller as selections for the Big South Conference’s all-Blue Division first team in 2023-24. The multi-tasking foursome powered Fairmont to the division’s championship with a 6-0 league mark against Jackson County Central, Waseca and Blue Earth Area.

Miller also was named as the Sentinel All-Area girls basketball team’s co-player of the year with Martin County West’s Emily Anderson for a second season in a row, while Rahm also claimed her second consecutive All-Area selection.

Miller averaged nearly 16 points, nine rebounds and four and a half assists per outing; Rahm generated 15 points and nearly eight boards per game; Pendergast tallied 11 points and five caroms each outing and proved a 3-point threat; while Terfehr delivered eight points, three assists and nearly one and a half steals per outing to guide Fairmont into the Section 3AA, South Sub-Section championship game.

Blue Earth Area senior guard Katherine Armon and sophomore guard Lola Lundquist, a pair of Sentinel All-Area choices, netted honorable mention all-conference status this season.

Jackson County Central junior sharpshooter Rylie Cother, who posted the fourth-best scoring average in the Minnesota prep girls ranks at 30.7 points per outing, and junior teammate Kylee Wenzel earned all-BSC Blue Division honors, along with Waseca junior Callie Dufault.

JCC junior Brylee Anderson rounded out the division’s honorable mention picks.

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Martin County West junior Emily Anderson; Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther’s trio of sophomore Keira Benck and seniors McKenna Benck and Olivia Mattson; and Madelia junior Katherine DeVlaeminck earned selections to the all-Valley Conference girls basketball team this winter.

Martin County West senior Ella Carlson, Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther senior Bethany Petrowiak and Madelia sophomore Alicia Lugo garnered all-Valley Conference honorable mention status.

On the boys’ side, GHEC/Truman/Martin Luther’s Carter Fox, Martin County West’s Jacob Wilmes and Madelia’s Josiah DeMaris each pocketed first-team all-Valley Conference accolades for the 2023-24 season.

Martin County West’s Kale Larson, GHEC/Truman/Martin Luther’s Jackson Madsen and Bryce Borkenhagen, and Madelia’s Kaydon Firchau and Eric Anderson netted honorable mention status.

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Across the state line, North Union head boys basketball coach Alex Fisher was chosen as the Top of Iowa Conference’s West Division coach of the year after powering the Warriors to their first-ever state tournament appearance and a 22-4 overall record.

North Union senior Dan Fothergill and Kyan Jones were tabbed as West Division first-team choices, seniors Preston Guerdet and Aiden Lofstrom were selected as second-team picks, while senior Kody Irmiter netted third-team honors.

On the girls’ side of the league ledger, North Union freshman Ainsley Ulrich made her varsity debut on the Top of Iowa Conference West Division’s first team for her efforts this season.

Senior Naomi Jones merited a spot on the division’s second team for the Warriors, while senior Libby Stevens claimed third-team accolades.