AUSTIN &045; With the holiday season behind, the Albert Lea junior varsity boys’ basketball team improved its record to 3-1 Monday with an impressive 67-42 victory at Austin. It came on the heels of previous victories against NRHEG and Rochester John Marshall.

&uot;Our guys played four quarters of solid basketball,&uot; said coach Max Jeffrey. &uot;We talked prior to the game about winning each quarter and we did that with leads at the quarter breaks of five, 14, 22, and then ultimately 25.&uot;

Jeffrey was impressed with the effort the team put into rebounding.

&uot;We don’t keep rebounding stats but I can tell you that everyone had a hand in limiting the number of shots for Austin as well as getting ourselves some second chance points,&uot; said Jeffrey. &uot;Once we secured the defensive rebound we did a nice job of running the floor and converting with some easy baskets.&uot;

The Tigers had balanced scoring with A.J. Kortz leading the way with 15, Wade Kolling 13, Mike Polis 12, Tom Steele nine, Andrew Dyrdal eight, Andrew Haatvedt six and Jared Gavle four.

According to Jeffrey this game marked the third different combination of players that have played in a JV game.

&uot;These games are important for the program and it’s great to mix the sophomores and juniors,&uot; said Jeffrey. &uot;It’s fun to watch these guys get some game experience together.&uot;

The JV boys are off until Monday, Jan, 24 when they host Fairmont at 6 p.m.