Tigers basketball hosts tournament; hockey, wrestling hit road

There’s no place like home for the Albert Lea boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

The Albert Lea basketball programs are co-hosting the Tiger Classic holiday tournament this season for the ninth consecutive year.

The Tigers boys’ team (1-2) won the tournament in its inaugural season in 2002 and again in 2004, but haven’t taken home the championship trophy since. The girls’ team (1-6) won the tournament in 2006.

The four-team tournament played at Albert Lea High School has featured an equal amount of teams from the metro and out-state Minnesota. Prescott, Wis., won the boys’ tournament in 2005 and 2006.

The Tigers boys’ team opens the two-day tournament on at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Triton (2-2).

Triton enters the tournament on a two-game win streak after opening the season 0-2, including a 65-50 loss to Hayfield (4-1). Waseca (0-3) and Hayfield fill out the opposite side of the bracket.

The Tigers girls’ team hosts Concordia Academy-Roseville (4-2) at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Tiger Classic’s opening round. Hayfield (5-2) and Bemidji (2-4) fill out the opposite side of the bracket.

Hockey teams head east for holiday tourneys

The Albert Lea boys’ and girls’ hockey teams are heading to Rochester and Austin, respectively, for holiday tournaments before the new year.

The boys’ team (6-1) plays in the 18th annual Rochester Kiwanis Hockey Festival on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and plays Richfield (4-3) at 12:30 p.m. in the opening round.

The Tigers will play either Sioux Falls, S.D., or New Ulm (5-1-1) in the second round and could face No. 3-ranked section opponent Rochester Lourdes on Thursday if they play in the championship game.

The Tigers girls’ team (6-4) opens the eight-team Austin Tournament at 5 p.m. Monday against the Minneapolis Novas (2-8).

The Tigers will then play either Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony Village (3-7) or New Prague (5-4-1).

Wrestlers head to Fargo, N.D. for Rumble of the Red

The Albert Lea wrestling team travels to Fargo, N.D., on Wednesday and Thursday for the Rumble on the Red Wrestling Championships the Fargodome.

The Rumble, as it’s quickly referred to, is a 60-team individual tournament and one of the largest wrestling tournaments in the nation.

It features the top teams from Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, including top ranked teams like Apple Valley, Adrian and Hastings.

Individual wrestlers will work their way through large brackets at each weight class. Teams will receive points if their wrestlers place and the team with the most points will be crowned champion.

Last season, Rapid City Stevens, S.D., was team champion and Destin McCauley, of Apple Valley, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler.

In its fifth year, the Rumble will try and build off last season, which saw 19 mats and 1,396 individual varsity and junior varsity wrestlers pack the Fargodome.