The Albert Lea Tigers were not at their best, but they were good enough.

Ben Woodside was almost better than anyone in school history &045; for one night anyway.

Woodside scored 37 points, missing the single-game school record by two, as the Tigers defeated Fairmont 73-53 in a nonconference boys’ basketball game at Albert Lea High School Tuesday night.

Coach Matt Addington came away with mixed feelings.

&uot;I’m real pleased with the fact we’re scoring &045; it’s our third straight game with 70 or more points,&uot; said Addington. &uot;But if we want to be a better team in March, we have to play more intelligently on both ends of the floor.&uot;

Woodside was pretty much unstoppable on the offensive end, adding 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals to his 37 points. The school record, 39, was set by Paul Wilke Jr. in the 1950s.

Three other Tigers scored in double figures. Tyler Young had 13 points, Tom Munden 12, Mike Behrends 10. Young also grabbed 10 rebounds. Ryan Moore had six assists and only one turnover.

The Tigers led from the start, with quarter scores of 22-13, 37-26 and 50-38.

The Tigers were 29-for-44 from inside the arc, 0-for-7 on threes and 15-for-24 at the free-throw line, while Fairmont was 16-for-41 on twos, 2-for-11 on threes and 16-for-22 at the line. Albert Lea outrebounded the Cardinals 38-32 and had 14 turnovers, one less than Fairmont.

The Tigers improved to 7-6 while Fairmont fell to 6-7.

Albert Lea hosts Rochester Century Friday.