Coach Matt Addington could point to any of a number of areas where the Albert Lea High School boys’ basketball team got beat Friday.

Monday, January 07, 2002

Coach Matt Addington could point to any of a number of areas where the Albert Lea High School boys’ basketball team got beat Friday.

There was the field-goal shooting, 15-for-42 overall and 2-for-17 from three-point range, the lack of free-throw shooting, 0-for-1 on the night, and only 18 rebounds for the entire squad.

The biggest factor, however, wore No. 21 on his jersey.

Sam Bachman, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who transferred from Rochester Lourdes before the school year, scored 25 points to lead Rochester Mayo past Albert Lea 45-32 in a Big Nine game at ALHS.

&uot;You knew he was going to get his points,&uot; said Addington of Bachman. &uot;But, overall, we played decent defensively. The free throws and us not knocking down our shots was the difference.&uot;

The difference was slim most of the night, with the Spartans pulling away by making nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. They were 14-for-19 from the line for the night.

The Spartans led early as Bachman penetrated the paint with ease, sparking Mayo to a 16-8 edge at the end of the first period. The Tigers narrowed it to 20-16 at halftime, going on a 10-0 run in the final 2:30 that included baskets by Ben Woodside, Kyle Schrad, Josh Kasper and a tip-in at the buzzer by Tyler Young.

Woodside scored on a driving layup, then stole a pass and scored to tie it at 20 early in the third quarter. The Tigers kept it close and, after Jay Link’s alley-oop pass to Young with a minute left, Mayo led just 26-24. A basket and two free throws with 4/10ths of a second on the clock put the Spartans up 30-24.

The Tigers were forced to foul with the Spartans in a delay mode in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer by Josh Kasper pulled Albert Lea within 36-32 with 1:53 remaining but it would get no closer.

Woodside led the Tigers with 11 points, five steals and four assists. He did not have a turnover. Young had eight points and six rebounds.

The Tigers, outrebounded 26-18, had eight turnovers to nine for the Spartans.

It was the second time Addington, the Tigers’ second-year head coach, faced a Rochester team to which he has ties. Earlier in the season the Tigers lost to John Marshall, Addington’s alma mater. He was an assistant coach at Mayo.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Nine while the Spartans improved to 3-5 and 2-2.

The Tigers play at Mankato East on Tuesday.