Despite cutting a 16-point halftime deficit to five points, the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team was unable to complete its comeback.

Mankato West defeated the Tigers 70-57 Tuesday on Senior Night at Albert Lea.

“I was happy to see them make a few runs and fight back in the second half,” said Albert Lea coach Lucas Kreuscher.

The Tigers were able to mount the rally by getting stops on defense, Kreuscher said.

Dedoch Chan led Albert Lea with 31 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The Tigers have two seniors on the team: Kole Smith and Tyler Anderson. Smith was Albert Lea’s second-leading scorer with nine points, and Anderson tallied two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

“Kole hit a nice 3-pointer in the second half, and Tyler played his usual great defense,” Kreuscher said.

Although it was Senior Night, the Tigers still have one more home game at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 against Winona.

Next, Albert Lea (0-23, 0-19 Big Nine) will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Owatonna (11-12, 9-10 Big Nine). The Tigers and Huskies met on Jan. 6, and Owatonna won 48-42.