BELLEVUE – The Mount Si Wildcats girls’ basketball team opened postseason play last Thursday in the Kingco Tournament at Bellevue Community College with its worst offensive game of the year, resulting in a 38-34 loss to the Newport Knights.

Newport’s defense held Mount Si to one of its lowest point totals for a quarter this season (3), and half (11), and the Knights used that defense to overcome their own weak offense and surprise the Wildcats. In the last two years, Newport has won all except one game against Mount Si, with the lone loss coming earlier this season.

Junior guard Rachel Travis scored 14 points to lead the Wildcats, but understandably was unhappy afterward.

“Tonight’s effort … we came out really flat offensively and that’s what really hurt us. [The] second half was great, and we just ran out of time,” said Travis.

This loss, and the manner in which it occurred, clearly was a gut check for this team as they headed into their game Saturday against Liberty.

Mount Si coach Dirk Hansen was disappointed with his team’s poor shooting.

“Well, I’d like to think that we can’t shoot any worse than what we did, let’s hope that we don’t shoot any worse than what we did tonight,” Hansen said.

Senior swing player Ryan Trettevik scored 14 to lead Newport to victory. Junior guard Whitney Beyerlin scored six points to pace Mount Si. Beyerlin’s points came when she hit two clutch three-pointers late in the final quarter, but a key traveling call on Travis and free throws by the Knights’ junior guard Kalla Vavra and sophomore guard Brittany Duerr sealed the Wildcats’ fate. Duerr paced Newport with eight points.

Wildcats topple Liberty

The Wildcats rebounded Saturday with a win against Liberty. Beyerlin scored 17 to lead Mount Si to a 46-37 victory over the Patriots.

Junior Kaycee Crossan credited teamwork in helping secure the victory.

“We played really hard as a team,” said Crossan.

Hansen was pleased with the effort, as well.

“I’m proud of the way we bounced back and had a little bit better shooting day than what we did earlier in the week and so we’re happy with getting a few more shots to fall down,” said the coach.

The Wildcats shot 31 percent from the floor. Travis added six points and 10 rebounds to pace the Wildcats’ efforts.

The Patriots were led by the game-high 18 points of junior forward Jessie Simons. Liberty’s best player, senior center Hilary Tanneberg, was in foul trouble throughout the second half and was limited to two points. She also was assessed a technical foul with 2:58 left in fourth quarter causing her to foul out of the game.

The SeaKing District Tournament is this week.

Crossan knows that the team must play better in order to win.

“We’re going to have to work 10-times harder because all those schools are really hard,” said Crossan, referring to the Metro League schools.

Mount Si played Tuesday, after the Valley Record’s deadline, at Mercer Island against Bishop Blanchet in a loser out game.