The Austin boys basketball team still has some learning to do.

The Packers couldn’t close out a late lead as they lost 57-56 to Northfield in Packer Gym Tuesday night.

The Raiders (4-1 overall, 3-1 Big Nine) went on a 17-8 run over the last 10 minutes of the game and they took the lead for good when Luke Harris hit one out of two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in the game.

The Packers (2-3 overall, 2-2 Big Nine) had led 53-47 after Gach Gach hit a 3-pointer with 6:53 left in the contest, but they didn’t make another field goal and they went just 3-for-6 on free throws down the stretch.

“We just have to learn how to finish. We had a couple of bad turnovers, we weren’t strong with the ball and we’ve got to make plays and stops at crucial times,” Austin head coach Kris Fadness said. “We’re just not making the plays we need to make defensively in the last eight to ten minutes to win. In these close games, we’ve got to make plays to win. You can’t expect the other team to miss shots and to throw the ball into the crowd. They’re going to be aggressive when they’re down.”

The Packers used an 11-0 run to go up 28-18 in the first half and they led 35-23 when Nik Gasner hit a lay-up on Austin’s first possession of the second half. Austin committed 13 turnovers and some of them were unforced miscues as Northfield crept back into the game.

“We’re fumbling the ball over the place right now,” Fadness said. “Clean catches are hard to come by right now. I’m happy with our effort and I won’t fault our effort.”

Gasner had 13 points, three steals and three rebounds for Austin, Zach Coffey had 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds and Gach Gach had 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Northfield 23 34 — 57

Austin 33 23 — 56

Austin scoring: Nik Gasner, 13; Zach Coffey, 12; Gach Gach, 10; Both Gach, 9; Noah Brehmer, 6; Levi Vierkandt, 3; Dylan Gasner, 3; free throws: 70 percent (7-for-10); rebounds: 24 (Gach Gach, 7); turnovers: 14