Tigers win Big Nine

opener,

G-E falls late

FARIBAULT &8212; The Albert Lea girls&8217; basketball team once again got balanced scoring from its starters and a lot of help from the bench Tuesday night when it ran Faribault out of its own gym 73-41.

&8220;We have really improved,&8221; said A.L. head coach Karol Hansen. &8220;I&8217;m very pleased with the way these girls step up and play their roles.&8221;

Niki Hendrickson led the Tiger attack with 16 points, one of four in double figures. The others were Ali Demmer with 15 points and eight boards, Hali Hendrickson with 14 and nine, and Leah Walters with 11.

The Tigers ran out to a 15-point halftime lead at 36-21 and were able to use nearly everyone it had on the bench.

&8220;We have gone eight deep pretty consistently,&8221; said Hansen. &8220;When we do, we haven&8217;t seen any drop in our play, no matter who is in the lineup. That&8217;s why it has been so fun working with these girls, they always step up and do what they have to do.&8221;

A.L. was able to keep the turnovers in check against Faribault and didn&8217;t have anyone get in serious foul trouble as the subs came in and finished off the Tigers&8217; first Big Nine opponent of the season by 32 points.

With the win the Tigers improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Nine. A.L. plays host to its I-35 rivals from Owatonna Friday night.

LeRoy-Ostrander 39, G-E 37

In Glenville, the girls came so close to tasting victory for the first time this season but came up just short losing 39-37 to LeRoy-Ostrander.

The Wolverines&8217; Jordyn VanRyswyk collected a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort while Ashley Lau added 11 points, four boards, and four steals.

&8220;We gave Jordyn lots of good looks in the first half,&8221; said G-E head coach Lisa Ziebell. &8220;She took advantage of most of them, but she also hit eight of 11 from the line, so that was nice to see.&8221;

The Wolverines led at the half 18-17 but the turnover bug kept coming back to bite them, especially when they could least afford it. G-E held a two point lead with just seconds left in the game but threw the ball away three times in the closing seconds that allowed L-O to steal the win.

&8220;It seems like when it gets close, no one wants the ball,&8221; said Ziebell. &8220;Kylie can handle the ball and she did a good job tonight, but we have to get more people that want the ball, that want to take that shot when we need it.&8221;

The Wolverines fall to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the Southeast Conference. They hit the hardwood again Friday when conference foe Houston comes to Glenville.