Free throws help Tigers survive and advance

Staff

Published Wednesday, December 28, 2005

By Jeff Budlong, Tribune Sports Editor

ALBERT LEA - They say good teams find a way to win even when they are not playing their best, and that is exactly what the Albert Lea girls' basketball team did against Farmington, Tuesday night.

In a game that resembled more of a football contest at times with girls hitting the floor and physical contact the norm in the paint, the Tigers managed to come away with a 48-42 victory.

“We can play a lot better than we did tonight, but we were in a hurry all night long and when that happens we make bad decisions,” said Albert Lea head coach Karol Hansen.

“It was a very physical game but I was very happy with how the girls handled themselves.

It would have been easy to lose your control and get frustrated.”

The biggest difference in the game came at the free throw line where the Tigers made Farmington pay connecting on 14 of 18 attempts while the visitors were a frigid 3 of 19 at the charity stripe.

The Tigers struggled with turnovers all game long committing in excess of 30 in the game.

However, the first six minutes of each half proved to be a particular problem for Albert Lea as it tried to adjust to what Farmington was doing on defense.

Farmington would take a 13-11 lead with 5:40 left in the opening half on a bucket from Andrea Weyandt, but Hali Hendrickson responded with a three-point play and Cara Thorn drained a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor.

The offensive burst sparked the Tigers and sent them into the locker room with a nine-point halftime advantage at 30-21.

While Albert Lea was only able to manage 18 second half points it did show some grit playing most of the time without Hendrickson who was saddled with her fourth foul early in the half.

Farmington would get as close as three points, but its inability to shoot with any consistancy all game long kept the Tigers in control.

“This is a team that finds a way to make each other look good,” said Hansen.

“They have enough trust and confidence in each other to know someone is going to step up.”

Liz Thompson hit four of her five free throw attempts in the second half as she finished with a team-high 15 in the game.

Thorn, who had a big bucket and a couple of nice assists late in the game, finished with 10 points and Hendrickson added seven points and 14 rebounds.

Abby Kennealy was the only Farmington player to score more than six points in the game as she displayed some good hustle in the post to record a game-high 16 including 10 after halftime.

The Tigers used a ball control offense in the last four minutes to hold their advantage and secure the win.

“We remembered who had control of the game allowing us to eat so much of the clock and force Farmington to come out and get us,” said Hansen.

“That is when we played our best basketball because we didn't turn it over.”

The victory advances the Tigers to the championship game tonight at 6 p.m. against defending Class AAAA state champion and top-ranked Bloomington Kennedy which downed Cannon Falls 47-38 in the first game of the tournament.

“I do believe that we will get better by playing better teams and what better challenge than Bloomington Kennedy,” said Hansen.

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