OWATONNA &045; The big showdown was between Albert Lea’s Ben Woodside and Owatonna’s Andrew Olson.

Woodside won handily. He made sure his team did too.

Woodside, a 6-foot junior guard, scored 35 points as the Tigers won their boys’ basketball season opener 56-48 at Owatonna Tuesday night. Woodside guarded Olson, a 6-foot returning all-state guard, and held him to nine points.

&uot;Woody did so many things so well,&uot; said Tigers coach Matt Addington. &uot;He shot the three, he took guys to the basket, he scored on transition, he made free throws. He was the guy that got us going on both ends of the floor.&uot;

It took the Tigers a while to find their rhythm, though. They trailed 12-6 after one quarter, 24-21 at halftime and 40-38 after three periods and didn’t take the lead until the fourth.

&uot;We played a little tentative the first two and a half quarters,&uot; said Addington. &uot;The guys didn’t play with the confidence I’d seen from them in the past and even in preseason practices. There was a little bit of uncertainty, and I guess you have to expect a little of that in the first game. We just kind of chipped away. Our kids felt confident. They knew they just had to stay persistent, and we were very persistent in what we did.&uot;

Woodside was 8-for-10 at the free-throw line, adding five assists and four steals to his 35 points. Tyler Young had four points and 12 rebounds. Also scoring for Albert Lea were Tom Munden with seven points, Jordan Skophammer four, Mike Behrends three, Ross Habben two and Marcus Thorstad one.

The Tigers were 15-for-38 from the floor, including 3-for-8 on three-pointers, and 15-for-23 on free throws. The Huskies made 17 of 54 field goals and 10 of 13 free throws.

&uot;Owatonna is really improved,&uot; said Addington. &uot;They played so scrappy. I think they’ll be a team to keep an eye on.&uot;

The Tigers have their home opener Friday against what’s expected to be a strong Mankato West team.