ROCHESTER CENTURY &045; The Albert Lea B-squad girls’ basketball team is off to a 3-1 start heading into the Christmas break.

The B-squad dropped its first game of the season 56-32 to a very talented Rochester Century squad at Rochester Friday.

The Bengals missed some key lay-ups in the first half and could not get on track offensively, according to coach Jay Crabtree, while the Panthers seemingly could not miss.

Scoring for Albert Lea were Niki Hendrickson with nine points, Ellie Holmen eight, Alicia Anderson six, Sasha Flores four, Allison Arnold two and Jennifer Larson one.

A night earlier, the Bengals ran their record to 3-0 by defeating Mankato West 47-38 in overtime. It was close all the way, with a 19-19 halftime tie and a 29-25 Scarlet lead after three quarters. A full-court press helped the Bengals cut the lead to two points and, with two seconds remaining, Arnold hit a basket from eight feet away to tie it and send it to overtime. Albert Lea dominated the extra session, going on an 11-2 run.

Albert Lea scoring: Holmen nine, Hendrickson nine, Arnold eight, Flores seven, Cara Thorn five, Liz Thompson four, Anderson three, Kat Ladwig two.

The Bengals are off until Saturday, Jan. 3, when they host Northfield.