HOOPSTERS RETURN — Members of the Fairmont Cardinal ladies basketball staff tipping off the season by enjoying host to Windom Area on Tuesday night time at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont embrace, entrance row (l-r): Carys Gudahl and Rubi Reyes. Middle row: Elayna Anderson, Ava Terfehr, Abi Peyman, Kennedy Becker and Tiffany Lowry. Back row: Hope Klanderud, Emelia Klanderud, Norah Traetow, Nevaeh Rahm, Brylee Miller and Grace Pendergast. Not pictured: Ellie Ortega. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont head ladies basketball coach Sara Junkermeier is aware of precisely how tough it’s to earn victories throughout the confines of the Big South Conference.

Junkermeier’s Cardinals reached the Section 3AA, South Sub-Section championship recreation final season, finally falling to Luverne to complete with a 15-11 mark.

“We nearly made it to the sectional finals, but our record did not reflect how well we actually played throughout the season,” stated Junkermeier, who enters her seventh yr at Fairmont’s varsity helm. “There are a lot of quality teams in both our conference and section, so there are no easy nights.”

Junkermeier’s hardwood evaluation proved as correct as a Brylee Miller runner within the lane.

Big South Conference rivals St. Peter, Marshall and Luverne — who generated a complete of 68 wins throughout the 2022-23 marketing campaign — mixed to deal 4 losses to Fairmont final winter. Ironically, Marshall avenged a loss to St. Peter within the convention championship conflict by defeating the Saints for the Section 2AAA crown and a state bid.

“Hopefully we can improve our number of wins this season, especially since we return both our top two scorers and top two rebounders from a year ago,” stated Junkermeier.

Miller, a 5-foot-11 sophomore 5-spot hybrid netter, and 5-10 senior publish participant Nevaeh Rahm — together with 5-9 senior wing Grace Pendergast — return to the Cardinals’ beginning lineup after making main statistical contributions final season.

Miller made her varsity debut a memorable one by meriting Sentinel All-Area co-player of the yr accolades after topping Fairmont with a 14.7-point scoring clip, 73 assists and 57 steals to enrich a second-best staff common of 5.9 rebounds per outing.

The first-team all-Big South Conference alternative additionally eclipsed the Cardinal program’s single-game scoring mark by tossing in 36 factors in a win over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg within the Windom Holiday Classic on Dec. 27.

“Brylee really made quite an impact for us as a freshman, and got even better as the season progressed,” stated Junkermeier. “She’s so versatile that she’ll actually be our backup player in the low post this season.”

Rahm, who additionally earned All-Area and all-Big South accolades final winter, led Fairmont in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and completed No. 2 in scoring (10.6 ppg) to go along with distributing 50 assists and pocketing 32 steals.

Pendergast additionally garnered All-Area and all-conference honors by producing 9.8 factors per outing, paced by draining 44 3-pointers a yr in the past. Pendergast additionally proved a talented multi-tasker by grabbing 91 rebounds, doling out 63 assists and pocketing 36 steals.

Senior guard Hope Klanderud and senior guard Ava Terfehr additionally return after enjoying vital minutes final winter, together with junior wing Ellie Ortega.

“Last season we (coaching staff) were trying to figure out where all the pieces to the puzzle fit. This season we’ll be defining the roles for the ones back and honing their strengths,” stated Junkermeier. “After battling by means of well being points final season, Ava is again in true basketball mode and can have an even bigger position this season.

“Hope had a varsity role last year, but her minutes and contributions should increase now.”

The guard trio of Abi Peyman, Rubi Reyes and Elayna Anderson — together with publish participant Tiffany Lowry — will spherical out the seniors on the roster.

Junior forwards Kennedy Becker and Norah Traetow, junior guard Carys Gudahl and freshman Emelia Klanderud will full Fairmont’s opening-day varsity roster.

“Now we need to work hard in practice and see how much better we can be every day,” stated Junkermeier.

Terry Ehlert will deal with this system’s B-squad teaching duties, Aaron Lowry will do likewise on the C-squad stage, whereas Sara Gudahl returns because the varsity assistant coach.

Fairmont ideas off the season by enjoying host to Windom Area at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont.