WINONA – First-year head coach Matt Addington has talked all season about the Albert Lea High School boys’ basketball team learning how to win.

Saturday, January 19, 2002

WINONA – First-year head coach Matt Addington has talked all season about the Albert Lea High School boys’ basketball team learning how to win.

The Tigers gained more than a little knowledge Friday night.

Albert Lea came from behind twice during crunch time, once to send it into overtime and then to win it 62-59 on a three-point basket at the buzzer.

&uot;It was incredible to come from behind the way we did,&uot; said Addington. &uot;The guys scrambled, they dug down and they found it somewhere inside themselves to get the win.&uot;

And they did it in dramatic fashion.

The Winhawks missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw with 8 seconds remaining in regulation, the Tigers got the rebound and called time out with 4 seconds left. Their play worked and Ben Woodside’s lay-up tied it at 52 as time expired.

In overtime, Woodside hit a three-pointer and, with 6 seconds left, two free throws to tie it 59-59. Kyle Schrad blocked a shot on the other end and, with 1 second left, the Tigers called time out. From under the Tigers’ basket Schrad fired a perfect in-bounds pass to Woodside, who drilled about a 28-footer from in front of the Albert Lea bench at the buzzer.

&uot;It was a huge win, especially in the fashion it happened,&uot; said Addington.

The Tigers jumped out early, taking a 9-2 advantage led by Tyler Young, but the Winhawks wouldn’t let them open it up. An 8-0 run quickly gave Winona its first lead of the night at 12-11, but Cory Bowman nailed a three and Young hit a hoop to put Albert Lea on top 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Albert Lea led 32-26 at halftime and 44-40 after three quarters.

Winona came back in the fourth, taking a 47-43 lead that the Tigers eliminated with a 6-0 run. It was tied at 50 with a minute left in regulation.

Young had a big game with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Woodside finished with 20 points and five assists. Schrad drew praise from Addington for his totals of 12 assists, four points and only one turnover. Bowman and Jay Link scored five points apiecer.

The Tigers were 25-for-51 on field goals, 4-for-14 from three-point range, and 6-for-10 from the free-throw line. Winona made 22 of 51 field goals, including four of 10 threes, and 10 of 15 free throws.

The win improved the Tigers to 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Nine while Winona fell to 7-5.

The Tigers play at Rochester Century this Friday.