The hole was too deep for the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team to climb out of in its season opener.

The Tigers outscored Rochester Mayo by four points in the second half, but the damage was done before halftime as the Spartans won 81-57 Tuesday at Rochester.

“We played like it was our first game of the year,” said Albert Lea coach Lucas Kreuscher. “Inexperience showed up at times. It was a wake-up call, and we have an opportunity to grow from it.”

Albert Lea had three players score in double figures: Jake Thompson led the Tigers with 17 points, Jake Kilby had 13 and Dedoch Chan, 10.

According to Kreuscher, Thompson was sharp in the mental aspects of the game.

“To have no turnovers as the starting point guard, that’s a solid night,” he said. “He had four threes and got into a nice rhythm.”

Chan led the Tigers with seven rebounds; Kilby and Mal Pine each had four.

Next, Albert Lea (0-1 overall) will play at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Northfield. The Raiders (1-0 overall) are coming off a 76-68 win Saturday at Rochester Mayo.