The Albert Lea girls’ basketball team hosted the Tiger Classic on Thursday and Friday.

Friday’s championship game was between Albert Lea and Austin.

The matchup went differently than the last time the two teams played.

Austin won the game, and in turn won the tournament after defeating the Tigers 65-57.

“It’s good for them to be learning this now that a team that we beat by 15 or 20 last time could be anyone’s game,” Tigers’ head coach Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa said. “You have to show up.”

The Tigers lacked in being able to finish their shots whether it was layups, freethrows or 3-pointers.

They missed 20 layups and 10 points in freethrows.

Hugstad-Vaa said if they would have been able to make them, they would have had a different outcome.

“Today, we let them hang with us,” Hugstad-Vaa said about the defeat to Austin.

Another thing the Tigers were struggling with was boxing out and getting stops.

“In the first half, we didn’t box out as well so they got 12 offensive rebounds,” Hugstad-Vaa said. “We gave them a lot of second chance opportunties.”

In the second half, the Tigers did a better job at boxing out and came out more aggressively.

Bryn Woodside, in particular, stepped up for the Tigers in the second half.

Woodside had seven steals in the game and a total of 26 points.

“Her pressure and intensity helped us on our run back into the game,” Hugstad-Vaa said.

At half, the Tigers trailed the Packers 23-17.

In the second half, the trailed by as many as 17 points.

With their increased aggressiveness, the Tigers were able to close in within five points until the Packers threw two freethrows with 30 seconds left to lift them over the Tigers by a total of eight points.

Hugstad-Vaa said the tournament was good practice for upcoming conference games.

The Tigers’ next game is Friday at Mankato East. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

 

Austin 65, Albert Lea 57

AL stats: Lindsey Stewart 1 rebound, 2 steals; Dom Villarreal 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 points; Mckenzie Zuniga 1 steal; Bryn Woodside 3 assists, 5 steals, 26 points, Sydney Rehnelt 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 14 points; Sarah Niebuhr 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 points; Danielle Staat 2 points; Megan Kortan 6 rebounds, 1 assist