ABOVE: Fairmont’s Logan Junkermeier battles to get a shot off against Maple River’s Carson Healy (32) during a Kwik Trip Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament game on Friday at Bethany Lutheran College.

MANKATO — Turnovers plagued Fairmont as it dropped its first game of the Kwik Trip Bethany Holiday Tournament at Bethany Lutheran College to Maple River 59-45 on Friday.

Logan Junkermeier scored 11 for the Cardinals, while Joe Long added 10 points.

Whether it was in the passing lanes or off the dribble, Maple River was disruptive for the Fairmont offense all game long, turning defense into offense for easy points. Fairmont also had little success shooting from behind the arc, making just one 3-pointer with four minutes remaining in the game.

Maple River started the game with a 10-2 run, with Reed Johnson breaking the Fairmont scoring drought with a layup. Fairmont kept pace with the Eagles as Junkermeier hit a pair of putbacks to set the score at 15-9, but Maple River went on a 9-2 run to close out the half, with the Cardinals only managing a pair of free throws from Junkermeier as they fell behind 24-12.

After Maple River continued to score to go up 29-14 in the second half, Fairmont got the offense going a bit, with Johnson, Junkermeier and Tavain Harvey all hitting layups to cut the lead to 31-22. Fairmont continued to score, with a mid-range shot from Long making it a 34-26 game, but the Maple River offense got its points up as well as an and-one from Emery Stevens putting the Eagles back up 39-28. The Eagles went on a 8-2 run to go up 47-21, and while Fairmont responded with a 7-2 run of its own, capped off with an and-one from Brayden Williamson, the Cardinals still trailed 49-38. A 3 from Joseph Hackett made it a 51-41 game, but it wasn’t enough as reserves entered the game for Maple River with 1:38 remaining.

Fairmont (5-2) plays Mankato Loyola at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday in the second day of the tournament.