Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Brylee Miller eyes down her 3-point attempt during the first half of Friday night's game against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. The Cardinals used a 38 point second half to fuel their 12th win of the season.

FAIRMONT – A deep 3-pointer from Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s Mikayla Wheelock narrowed the deficit to 36-35 midway through the second half Friday’s contest against Fairmont. At that moment, it appeared the game would continue to mirror what took place in the first half – a back-and-forth battle with Bulldog guards doing everything they could to pull off the road win.

However, Fairmont’s Brylee Miller had other plans.

Miller followed this shot with a personal nine-point scoring run, giving the Cardinals a 45-38 advantage that never ceased until the final buzzer. Fairmont’s defensive tenacity and patience on offense continued to flow the rest of the way, leading to a 64-52 victory that improved its record to 12-1.

Miller finished her impressive night with 33 points, 14 rebounds and eight steals. Makayla Lowry’s strong second half led to an 11 point and seven rebound output, while Bria Williamson contributed off the bench with 10 points and four steals.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and they [Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton] were going to be very physical, that’s just how they play,” Fairmont head coach Sara Junkermeier said. “I don’t think we ever backed down.”

The physicality was displayed immediately in a competitive first half. Both teams showed different defensive tactics to create loose balls and difficult looks at the rim.

JWP’s long range shooting kept them competitive during the initial 18-minutes. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the night after Wheelock found some open space on the perimeter and gave her team a 17-14 advantage.

Fairmont regained the edge with some defensive pressure in their man-to-man scheme. An Olive Kawecki 3-pointer was followed by a loose ball on the other end, which Miller turned into an and-one layup that put the Cardinals up 23-21.

A free throw from Kwynn Krause put the Bulldogs ahead 27-26 at the halftime buzzer. Despite trailing at the break, Junkermeier knew it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals began converting on opportunities in the paint.

“We knew we shot around 28% from the field in the first half,” Junkermeier said. “When every look we had was a layup in the paint, you have to finish those at a higher percentage. …When we started going up strong, it was a totally different game.”

Junkermeier’s halftime message rang true immediately. Fairmont began the second half with an emphasis of intensity in the paint, using post ups and strong cuts to draw easy layups or chances at the free throw line.

Lowry’s quick six points charged Fairmont’s largest lead of the game at 35-30, causing Bulldogs head coach Brandon Goebel to call a timeout with 14:15 to play.

Fairmont’s switch to a 2-3 zone also aided the Cardinals run. Rather than facing the Bulldogs guards one-on-one, Junkermier elected to pack the paint and challenge JWP to get past Miller and Kawecki on the outside.

“A nice part of these kids is we have enough [depth] that can play different positions. We can switch to that and it gives us a whole new look defensively,” Junkermeier said. “It took us out of our full-court [pressure], which I didn’t think was completely effective against their good handlers, and that’s okay. But when we get into a 2-3, we can put just as much pressure in a zone.”

Things tightened up again after JWP’s Nevaeh Weimert and Katelyn Olson nailed consecutive 3-pointers to pull within 51-48. Miller answered the bell with an outside shot of her own to stray away the Bulldog comeback.

Layups from Lowry and Miller sparked the Cardinals to a 10-2 run during the final four minutes, while Fairmont’s zone defense continued to stall the Bulldog scoring attack. Sloppy passes and contested shots sealed the Cardinals 64-52 win.

“We say that you have to trust that everyone on the floor is doing their job and you have to ride those out,” Junkermeier said. “We know there will be times we are playing our best basketball and times when we are down. …That’s just credit to this team because they play well together and believe in each other.”

Fairmont (12-1) will look to keep its momentum going with a home contest against Luverne next Tuesday. Tip-off is set to start at 6 p.m. at the Fairmont High School gymnasium.