Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Joe Long pulls up in transition against Jackson County Central on Friday night in the Fairmont High School gymnasium. The Cardinals earned their third win of the season after the 55-47 victory.

FAIRMONT – Brayden Williamson always expected pressure.

With less than 20 seconds on the clock and his team leading Jackson County Central 51-47, the primary goal was to maintain possession. Weaving through white jerseys, the point guard found center Logan Junkermeier standing under the hoop, unguarded and unchecked. A flick-of-the wrist pass and an authoritative slam dunk later, and the Fairmont boys basketball team came away with a much-needed 55-47 victory over the Huskies.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Friday night’s victory over Jackson County Central proved to Cardinal head coach Jared Thompson that his team could win in multiple ways.

Tonight’s victory started on the defensive end. Fairmont limited the Huskie offensive attack to just 17 points in the second half, using an aggressive 2-3 zone that emphasized a perimeter foundation with rim protection down low.

“It’s [2-3 zone] one of those things, against certain types of teams, we are going to need it,” Thompson said. “Those teams with big wings that can really score. That’s something we will need to go to; it keeps Logan protecting the basket and being there for us.”

Offense was a challenge at times for Thompson’s team, but a slew of timely buckets were able to push his team past the hump. Junkermeier led all scorers with 17 points while tacking on 11 rebounds. Six other players had at least five points to lead an overall balanced effort.

Jackson County Central’s size and length proved to be a factor immediately in the first half, touting five starters above the six-foot frame, including 6’10 forward Sullivan Hall. After scoring two quick baskets in the opening four minutes, the Huskies made it their mission to pack the paint on Junkermeier to hopefully limit his arsenal.

Fairmont’s lead slowly evaporated over the next seven minutes after failing to convert on a handful of shots from the perimeter. Back-to-back layups from Hall gave Jackson County Central its most significant advantage of the game at 20-15.

However, the Cardinals were able to finish the last four minutes of the first half with a surge of offensive firepower. Double teams on Junkermeier opened the door for back-to-back threes from Kellen Fritz and Joseph Hackett to take back the lead for the Cardinals. Williamson capped off the scoring run with a step-back 3-pointer with under two minutes to bring his team to a 31-25 advantage.

Jackson County Central’s Blaise Rowe sank a handful of free throws to inch the Huskies back down 31-30 heading into the break.

The second half started sporadically for both teams after they combined for just 11 points in the first eight minutes. But 5 straight points from guard Tavian Harvey gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game, 43-34, with under 10 minutes to play.

Reed Johnson calmly sank two free throws to give Fairmont a 49-42 cushion with under five minutes to play, but the Huskies weren’t done. After an and-one from Hall and an elbow jumper from Isaac Hesebeck, Fairmont found themselves up one possession with under two minutes to play.

Solidifying the victory came from the defensive end. Sitting in the stretched-out 2-3 zone, the Cardinals needed to string together one stop to hold onto the two-point lead with less than a minute to play. Joe Long nabbed an indecisive pass from Jackson County Central at midcourt, leveraging his way to the basket before finishing the possession off with a layup.

“The defensive play of the game was when they had a chance to tie it, Joe Long gets the pick and goes in for the layup,” Thompson said. “That was as big as the dunk [from Junkermeier]. …That play that Joe made was probably the key difference in the game.”

Williamson knocked down two free throws after delivering the game-sealing assist to Junkermeier, extending Fairmont’s lead to the final score of 55-47.

Thompson knows tasting victory is always satisfying, regardless of the time of year. However, his primary focus, along with his staff, is the team’s growth and development as the season progresses.

While the Cardinals secured wins in their last three contests, Thompson knows this year’s team is just scratching the surface of what he hopes to see come February.

“It’s as big as you can get for a December game,” Thompson said. “It’s still December, and we are just learning. You like to win and learn, but if we have to lose and learn, that’s what we will do too. We are just trying to build that identity.”

Fairmont (3-1) will take on Windom Area next Tuesday at home, starting at 7:30 p.m.