Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont boys basketball's Joseph Hackett prepares to fire a 3-pointer during the second half of Monday night's contest against Belle Plaine at the Fairmont High School gymnasium. Hackett drained four outside shots en route to the Cardinals' 74-55 victory.

FAIRMONT – Monday night was a measuring stick for the Fairmont boys basketball team.

The Cardinals walked into the week with nine game winning streak fueling their impressive 14-2 start to the season. Wins over Blue Earth Area, Luverne and Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial boasted a strong resume for head coach Jared Thompson’s team, but with No. 4 ranked Belle Plaine coming into town, everything went out the window. This one meant more.

“We’ve played a lot of really good teams where you know you could win or lose,” coach Thompson said. “But we haven’t had one against a top ranked team where they just have some impressive wins. …We knew this was the best team we’ve played so far.”

Thompson’s team answered the bell emphatically, defeating Belle Plaine 74-55 in the Fairmont High School gymnasium. The Cardinals knocked down nine first-half 3-pointers, held their opponent under 60 points and simply outplayed the Tigers for the entire 36 minutes.

Six different players notched five points or more in what was a well-distributed Fairmont scoring effort. Logan Junkermeier led all individuals with a 26-point night on 80% shooting from the field. The senior center also controlled 14 rebounds while snatching five blocks.

Joseph Hackett and Reed Johnson were the other two Cardinals in double figures for Thompson. Hackett continued to produce from beyond the arc with four 3-pointers charging a 14-point effort. Johnson matched Junkermeier with a physical presence down low that was taken advantage of all night. The junior finished with 13 points on two missed shots.

“All the little things we do defensively and offensively, they need to be there every game,” coach Thompson said. “When you don’t shoot well, they keep you in games. That’s really what’s gotten us to the consistency that we have.”

These “little things” started with an energy and effort displayed on both sides of the court right from the tipoff. A loose scramble for the initial jump ball ultimately fell into the hands of Junkermeier down low, who calmly saw the incoming double team before finding Joe Long for a corner 3-pointer.

The same hustle was found two possessions later. Consecutive offensive rebounds shot the ball to Hackett into the left corner of the court. A hesitation in his release drew the Tiger defense towards his presence, leaving Junkermeier open for an easy layup under the rim. The intensity displayed by Thompson’s team was evident to everyone in the stands.

“In the first possession or two, we had three guys hit the floor for loose balls,” coach Thompson said. “Instantly, they [Belle Plaine] knew that Fairmont was ready to play tonight.”

Jordan Thompson gave the Cardinals a spark off the bench after nailing consecutive 3-pointers to give his team its largest lead of the night at 20-6. A six-point run by Belle Plaine, capped off by an Ethan Martin on a floater, prompted the Tigers to sink into a 2-3 zone in hopes of slowing Fairmont’s momentum.

The adjustment was no match for the Cardinals’ offensive rhythm. Thompson’s team continued to flash the “high basketball IQ” he praises them with.

Using ball movement and crisp passing, Fairmont secured back-to-back open looks from Tavian Harvey and Hackett on the perimeter for easy threes. Johnson took advantage of a one-on-one opportunity two possessions later for a quick layup, pushing Belle Plaine out of the zone and giving his team a 28-13 cushion.

Fairmont closed the final two minutes of the half with a 10-4 run to catapult them into the break. The surge started with a transition and one layup from Junkermeier and ended with a Brayden Williamson 3-pointer that sent the Cardinals into halftime with a 43-24 advantage.

“We knew they were going to have a hard time with Logan and Reed inside. …If they played [us] one-on-one, we could score,” Thompson said. “We had to try and draw double teams from them and make threes. In the first half, we executed that gameplan perfectly.”

Belle Plaine began the second half with the same 2-3 zone they displayed earlier. This time, rather than attacking from the perimeter, the Cardinals used their size advantage in the paint with Junkermeier and Johnson. The Tiger’s outer zone shell now clung to Fairmont’s shooters a bit more, stretching out the defense and giving the big men room to work.

Junkermeier and Johnson scored the first 10 points of the half through a series of post-ups down low. Williamson and Merritt Pomerenke attacked the scattered defense with a pair of mid-range floaters, pushing Fairmont up 57-33 with under 12 minutes to play.

Martin’s two free throws caused Belle Plaine head coach Brady Wohler to call a timeout with 7:48 to play as his team faced a 59-41 deficit. Wohler instructed his team into a new 3-2 zone scheme that applied pressure beyond the perimeter in hopes of slowing down Fairmont’s offense.

While this new look stalled Fairmont’s backcourt momentarily, the sharp decision-making continued to push away the hopes of a Tiger comeback. Junkermeier gathered a pair of layups while taking advantage of the extended defense before Hackett buried Fairmont’s sole second-half 3-pointer to put a nail in the coffin.

Fairmont (15-2) continues its season on Thursday with a home contest against St. James Area. Tip-off is set to start at 7:30 p.m.