WINONA &045; The girls’ from the Albert Lea basketball team worked out some of the rust from holiday break on Friday night defeating Winona on the road.

The Tigers took the game by a score of 59-42 and got back in the win column after their loss at the Albert Lea Holiday Classic.

&8220;This was a huge win coming off our last loss,&8221; said AL head coach Karol Hansen.

The Tigers got off to a slow start but picked up their play before the first half was over. Winona also played a tough game all night.

&8220;It was a choppy physical game with lots of contact,&8221; said Hansen.

The girls took a 31-23 lead into the halftime break.

In the second half AL adjusted its defense and smothered the Winona offense.

&8220;We really turned up the defense in the second half,&8221; said Hansen.

Free throws made a big difference in the game. The Tigers went an excellent 16-of-18 from the line and denied Winona any free throws after halftime.

Hali Hendrickson played another fine game scoring 21 and she also had seven assists. Niki Hendrickson had three points and 11 rebounds. Annika Smed scored 10 and also had seven rebounds.

Eight girls’ made their way onto the scoring sheet for the Tigers.

The Tigers are now 5-1 in conference play and will be at home on Tuesday night against Century.

Albert Lea 59, Winona 42

Albert Lea &045; Leah Walters 2, Jaclyn Rehmke 2, Cara Thorn 8, Niki Hendrickson 3, Annika Smed 10, Hali Hendrickson 21, Elizabeth Thompson 9, Ali Demmer 4