Austin girls' basketball coach Gary Peterson had some concerns about how his team would perform against a very tough Winona team after a seven-day hiatas during the holiday break, but the girls came out and demonstrated their on-court talent by playing a solid game with a strong fourth-quarter performance to secure a 49-45 Big Nine Conference win on the road.

The Packers jumped out to a 12-8 first quarter lead, but saw it slip away as the Winhawks began to break down Austin's zone defense to take a 25-23 lead into the intermission.

"We were very concerned about this game going into it, because we knew how big and physical they are," commented Peterson. "They broke us down on the inside during the first half, so we knew we had to change some things."

Austin went from a zone defense to man-to-man coverage in the second half and managed to re-establish its momentum, but despite that, it still remained a close game to the end.

Austin outscored Winona 14-10 in the third quarter to take a 37-35 advantage into the last period. Austin's fourth-quarter push resulted in a 12-10 scoring edge for the Packers, who allowed only one field goal in the final period.

"We really like to push the ball in the fourth quarter and I think that is what gives us a advantage over other teams. We have played well in the fourth quarter during the last four games," Coach Peterson added.

Two Packers scored in the double-digits Friday night. Lisa Bue had a superior performance for the Packers netting a team-high 23 points. She contributed four three-point baskets during the game. Stephanie Espinger supplied 14 points towards the win. Brittney Erichson donated five, Laura Geffert added four, and Amy Kelly furnished three points in the contest.

Austin improved its overall record to 8-2 and 4-2 in the Big Nine Conference. The Packers host Rochester Century on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Ove Berven Gym.