Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Brylee Miller collects her offensive rebound for an easy layup during last Saturday's contest against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The Cardinals moved to 9-1 on the season after a 76-44 victory.

FAIRMONT – The Fairmont girls basketball team took advantage of turnovers and strong perimeter defense in its 76-44 victory over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City this past Saturday afternoon at the Fairmont High School gymnasium.

Sara Junkermeier’s team held the Falcons to 17 points in the second half, showing fans what is expected out of any Fairmont defensive unit when playing at its best. Brylee Miller led all scorers with 34 points while accumulating five of the Cardinals 20 steals in the afternoon.

“It was just nice to be back into a game,” Junkermeier said. “We practiced for three days, and it was just nice to have a game to kind of break it up a little bit.”

Miller capped off an early 6-2 lead after taking a rebound coast-to-coast for an easy layup, causing ACGC head coach Jacklyn Frericks to call a timeout with 15:05 remaining in the first half.

However, the score would remain tightly contested until the halftime buzzer sounded. The Falcons were able to manufacture good looks underneath the hoop that stifled the Fairmont defense. Ruby Klinger’s euro-stepping floater cut the deficit to 22-18 before a Junkermeier timeout was called near the eight minute mark.

“We gave up too many easy looks on defense, and that’s not something we traditionally do,” Junkermeier said.

What jump-started the end of the half scoring surge were a handful of good possessions during Fairmont’s offensive half-court opportunities. Whether it was a back-cut chance or a drive-and-kick to an open shooter, these easy looks led to a ballooned lead heading into halftime.

Lillian Ortega’s dish to Miller for a top-of-the-key 3-pointer began what was an 18-9 run for the Cardinals during the halves’ final five minutes. Layups from Gwyneth Schultz and Miller fueled a 43-27 lead going into the intermission.

“I think we did a little bit better job at offensive rebounds and being able to put them back up,” Junkermeier said. “We also used their foul trouble to get to the free-throw line a few more times than we normally do. …When we cut hard and wanted layups, we got the looks we wanted.”

The Cardinals began the final half of hoops with a heightened sense of urgency on the defensive perimeter. Turnovers on the Falcons first three possessions fueled easy run-out layups from Miller and Emelia Klanderud, extending the advantage to 53-30.

Two more ACGC turnovers led to a personal 7-0 scoring run from Miller, who knocked down an outside shot and a layup before calmly sinking one free throw that set the score at 63-34.​

“We just got our hands on a lot of balls and that makes it an easy transition,” Junkermeier said. “That’s easy basketball when we don’t have to set up an offense in the halfcourt. That’s something that those girls on top can really put pressure on and I thought they did a good job.”

Fairmont (9-1) will play at St. James Area on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m.