The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team was right where it wanted to be against Rochester Mayo on Tuesday night.

The Tigers were up one point with 45 seconds left to play in the game and at the free throw line for a 1-and-1.

But Albert Lea failed to execute, missing the free throw and then not converting on their final possession of the game, losing a tough one to the Spartans, 62-57.

“Unbelievable fight by the kids,” Tigers coach Lucas Novosad said. “They showed a passion and were resilient throughout the game.”

Albert Lea found itself down 10 points in the second half.

“We just kept to our game plan of limiting turnovers and buckling down on defense,” Novosad said.

Tanner Wichmann led the Tigers with 28 points and Jack Buendorf finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Sean Wadding had eight points and Josh Forde finished with five points.

Albert Lea will be at New Ulm on Thursday.

“This was a team effort,” Novosad said. “We talked about after the game the top of the mountain being the toughest test. We just have to keep trusting the process.”