The drought against the Huskies is over.

Not only did the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team avenge a loss earlier this season at Owatonna, the Tigers beat the Huskies for the first time in eight years, said Albert Lea head coach Lucas Kreuscher.

The Tigers snapped that streak Tuesday with a 55-51 home win.

Albert Lea set the tone by pounding the ball in the paint. The Tigers shot 36 free throws. The Huskies only took four.

“I don’t know if we’ve had a group that’s so willing to throw the ball inside,” Kreuscher said. “I like the chemistry, and now we’re starting to get some balance.”

Cody Scherff, Dedoch Chan and Goding Wal combined with 24 points and 20 rebounds.

“We’re gaining confidence, these guys are finding out that we bring some nice things to the table. We’re getting better every game,” Kreuscher said about his post players. “That’s going to open up things outside for our shooters.”

Tyler Vandenheuvel led the Tigers from the perimeter with 14 points. Cole Keyeski added seven points.

At halftime, Albert Lea led 28-25. At the 10-minute mark, the Tigers pushed their lead to 12 points. However, the Huskies fought back.

“When Owatonna went on their run in the second half, we did an outstanding job of handling it with poise and not letting a little run turn into a big one,” Kreuscher said. “Down the stretch, we handled adversity well.”

Albert Lea (5-12 overall, 3-7 Big Nine Conference) is ninth in the 10-team conference standings. However, the Tigers are only two games behind Rochester Mayo, the team in fifth place.

Next, Albert Lea will play at 7:30 p.m. at Faribault.

The Falcons haven’t won a conference game. Albert Lea beat Faribault 60-49 on Dec. 17 at home.