When coach Karol Hansen looks at one set of numbers, she feels good about the progress the Albert Lea High School girls’ basketball team has made this season. When she looks at another, she sees that the Tigers could be better in yet another category: win-loss record.

The ALHS girls narrowed the gap from their first meeting with Mankato West, but some woeful second-half shooting left them with a 47-39 loss Thursday night.

“Considering the last time we played them it was 61-40, the girls did some things real well tonight,” said Hansen. “We’re definitely playing much better basketball than we were earlier in the season.”

Their best basketball against the Scarlets was in the first half, when Albert Lea led 10-7 after the opening quarter and 19-17 at the intermission.

“The girls really played well in the first half,” said Hansen. “They were patient offensively, aggressive defensively.”

Shooting was the difference in the second half, when the Scarlets made 12 of 21 field goal attempts and the Tigers were 3-for-20.

“West just shot the ball unbelievably well in the second half,” said Hansen. “We had great shot selection, we just could not get them to fall. We were 1-for-10 from the paint in the second half.”

The Scarlets led 36-29 at the end of the third quarter, and the Tigers got no closer.

Albert Lea was 10-for-39 on two-point field goals, 2-for-13 on threes and 10-for-16 at the free-throw line. The Scarlets, 19-for-40 on twos, made two of nine three-point shots and six of 17 free throws. West outrebounded Albert Lea 42-40 and had 10 turnovers, half as many as the Tigers.

Jess Hanson played what Coach Hansen called probably her best game of the season, totaling five assists, four steals, four points, three rebounds and two assists.

Other individual statistics: Amy Ravenhorst 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists; Danielle Rankin 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists; Jenny Hovendick seven points; Amber Edwards six points, six rebounds, three steals; Nicole Rafdal three rebounds, two steals.

The Tigers’ record fell to 1-9 in the Big Nine and 3-13 overall. West is 3-8 in the conference and 4-11 for the season.

The ALHS girls travel to Rochester John Marshall Tuesday.