Staff photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont guard Joseph Hackett works his way past the St. Peter defense during Thursday night's contest in the Cardinal gymnasium. Fairmont took down the Saints 74-63, improving its record to 21-4 to end the regular season.

FAIRMONT – It didn’t matter what defense St. Peter chose to run – man, zone, or full-court pressure – Fairmont always had an answer.

The Cardinals (21-4) scored over 35 points per half during Thursday night’s clash in the Fairmont High School gymnasium, topping the Saints (14-9) 74-63 to finish the regular season. Fairmont has strung two consecutive wins after dropping a pair the week prior.

Four players on Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson’s team finished in double figures, with Logan Junkermeier and Brayden Williamson leading the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Reed Johnson muscled in 12 points, six in each half, while a string of 3-pointers fueled Joseph Hackett’s 11-point output.

“It was a big night, we had a lot of guys in double figures, which is always a help too,” coach Thompson said.

Both teams opened up the contest in 2-3 zone defenses in hopes of limiting paint touches.

St. Peter took advantage of the early rotation mishaps from Fairmont on the perimeter. Ethan Potts and Alex Korir each knocked down an outside shot before Owen Potts found room beneath the defense for an easy layup that put the Saints up 10-5. This prompted Thompson to burn a timeout to adjust his scheme.

Coming out of the break, the Cardinals shifted into a new 3-2 zone look, hoping to limit dribble penetration and have more defenders on St. Peter’s prolific shooting backcourt. After another 3-pointer from Ethan Potts, the new Fairmont look stifled the Saints’ offensive rhythm, forcing four straight turnovers and a pair of misses on the ensuing possessions.

“For some games the 2-3 has been better for us, and in other games the 3-2,” coach Thompson said. “Tonight, they were doing a good job of putting us into tough positions in the 2-3, so the 3-2 kind of saved us.”

This allowed the Cardinals to string an early comeback. Fairmont got settled into its zone offense, using high-post entry passing to create looks on all three levels.

Ball reversal passes from Tavian Harvey and Hackett set up Josh Soelter for a nylon-ripping 3-pointer that put the Cardinals back ahead. Three possessions later, Joe Long found Johnson on a high-low pass that snuck behind the Saints’ defenders.

Jordan Thompson finished off Fairmont’s 10-0 scoring run with another outside shot that gave his team the biggest lead of the game at 24-15.

“I was happy with how we attacked their zone. We moved the ball well, and I thought guys spaced the floor,” coach Thompson said. “We haven’t had a ton of zone practice. Martin County West ran zone against us on Monday to give us a feel, but it’s something that hasn’t been as good as I think it could be. Tonight, I thought it was good.”

The offense didn’t slow down despite St. Peter moving to a man-to-man concept before the halftime buzzer. Junkermeier’s high-post dish to Johnson down low was followed by a Williamson drive-and-kick pass to Hackett on the perimeter, helping the Cardinals walk into the locker room with a 38-27 cushion.

Johnson continued to terrorize the Saints’ man-to-man defense to begin the second half. Collecting the ball on the right side of the basket, the junior exploited his physical presence over his defender by backing down to the low post and finishing at the rim. His second straight layup pushed Fairmont up 49-35.

“His game is evolving,” coach Thompson said. “We say to play to our strengths, and he knows where his strengths are while knowing the advantages that are there. He and Logan are also getting better off of each other.”

The St. Peter offense began to find some momentum throughout the second half. Rather than having Fairmont’s zone dictate the movements, the Saints began to make clean passes that ultimately led to better looks at the hoop.

A 3-pointer from Owen Potts and two interior finishes from center Parker Maloney led to Saints head coach Sean Keating using a timeout with his team down 66-57 at the two-minute mark of the game.

Fairmont responded to the late comeback efforts by sinking eight of its final 10 free-throw attempts. Williamson hit the final shot from the charity stripe to finish off the 74-63 Cardinal victory.