The Albert Lea girls’ basketball team traveled to Mankato East Tuesday in hopes of gaining some momentum before the start of the postseason.

Despite only seven players seeing the floor, the Tigers held on to beat the Cougars, 40-37.

The Tigers got out to a strong start in the game, taking an early lead and only allowing the Cougars 11 points in the first half.

Head coach Karol Hansen talked about the defensive efforts of the team Tuesday night.

“I think the girls realized tonight that we have a better shot at winning when we play great defense,” she said. “They found out that our offense can usually take care of itself when we play solid defense and don’t let teams get out and go on big runs against us.”

After losing starter Allison Christenson to a concussion last week, Madison Fleek stepped in to fill the position — a role she filled well Tuesday night, according to Hansen. Although she only scored two points, her biggest efforts came on the defensive side of the ball, pulling in nine rebounds on the defensive side alone.

The Tigers struggled a bit in the second half, as the Cougars pulled to within striking distance. However, the Tigers would remain on top as the dust settled, winning by a narrow three points.

“With the numbers we have at this point of the season, this win was a big confidence boost,” Hanson said. “A lot of girls stepped up and played really well tonight. It was a great team effort and a great defensive effort that allowed us to hang on and get the win.”

The Tigers were led in scoring by sophomore Samantha Skarstad with 14 points, and sophomore Turena Schultz had 11. Senior Rachel Rehnelt had another big performance with eight points, six assists, 10 rebounds and three steals.

The Tigers committed only 13 turnovers throughout the game, a stat Hansen said was one of the lowest she has seen from the team all season.

Albert Lea moves up to 4-20 on the season with just two regular season games remaining. The Tigers will host Mankato West on Thursday, as they hope to keep their momentum rolling into the postseason.