The Mount Si Wildcats girls basketball team didn’t let adversity derail its effort and intensity in a matchup against the Newport Knights on senior night.

The Wildcats, who were missing four starters due to injuries, battled valiantly but lost 43-37 to the Knights on Jan. 16 in Snoqualmie. The Wildcats dropped to 10-7 overall with the loss.

Mount Si head coach Jason Marr was impressed with his team’s grit despite missing a plethora of players in the starting lineup.

“We played well. We had four starters from the beginning of the season who were out tonight (injuries). The girls battled as much as they possibly could have,” Marr said.

The Wildcats’ trapping defense slowed down Newport’s usually potent offensive attack.

“We just kind of ran out of time a little bit. Our defense was great and to hold them in the 30s (for the majority of the game) was incredible. Our offense just wasn’t good enough tonight,” Marr said.

Newport head coach Travis Whitaker was thrilled his team was able to capture a triumph on the road.

“It is kind of wonky when they are missing as many kids as they were. We just tried to keep on point with what we were trying to do. I thought our execution wasn’t great but we hit some threes (3-pointers) and made enough plays to pull it out,” Whitaker said.

Newport senior guard Nicole Chan had a team-high 16 points and hit four 3-pointers in the win.

“She makes shots, for sure, but the thing I like best about Nicole is her ability to play great defense,” Whitaker said. “She steadies us on defense. Whenever there is a matchup where we feel like we may be struggling a little, she steps up to that challenge and does a great job. I was proud of her tonight.”

Mount Si freshman forward Lauren Glazier scored a team-high 11 points in the loss. Marr thinks his team will be just fine when they reach postseason play in February.

“The good thing is we get to continue to work toward the playoffs and get things back on track. The No. 1 thing is just getting healthy in the next week and go from there,” Marr said.

Whitaker believes his squad has plenty of room for improvement as the regular season winds down and with postseason play on the horizon.

“We’re playing a little uneven right now to be honest. We need to tighten some stuff up. We need to get better at the defensive end of the floor but we’re looking forward to it (playoffs),” he said.

Mount Si Wildcats senior Abigail Triou, center, controls the action in the paint against the Newport Knights. Newport defeated Mount Si, 43-37, on Jan. 16 in Snoqualmie. Photo courtesy of Patrick Krohn/Patrick Krohn Photography

Mount Si Wildcats freshman Lauren Glazier, right, drives toward the hoop while being guarded by Newport defender Ashley Lau. Glazier finished with a team-high 11 points in the loss. Photo courtesy of Patrick Krohn/Patrick Krohn Photography