The Interlake Saints girls basketball team (0-4) saw a third-quarter lead slip away during a 53-42 loss to the Lake Washington Kangaroos (1-2) on Dec. 11.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Saints took a 31-26 lead after sophomore Mira Chew hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter. The Kangaroos tied the game up heading into the fourth quarter at 34.

Lake Washington carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, going on a 15-5 run to take a 49-39 lead. Lake Washington closed the game out late in the fourth quarter to secure a 53-42 win.

Chew lead the Saints with a team-high 10 points, followed by sophomore Jenna Schmitt with nine points.

Interlake head coach Ryan Cruz said he was proud of the effort his players gave against a talented opponent.

“We’re a young team, so to be able to compete with them at a high level, I’m very proud of our girls,” Cruz said.

With only two seniors on the team, Cruz said it’s important for the team to keep learning and facing one of the top teams in the league is a good measuring stick early in the young season.

“We need some game experience,” Cruz said. “We’re not making winning plays and it showed at the end. For us, it’s just trying to mature a little bit more and to get it into our game plan a little bit more.”

The Saints are winless in their first four games, so Cruz said it’s important for the team to stay together and to keep fighting.

“We’re 0-4, so it’s very easy to have things go sideways, but our girls are finding a way to stick together,” Cruz said. “They know the big picture down the line to get into the two or three seed into districts, so we’re trying to stay really confident and to build our team over the next few weeks.”

Lake Washington was able to use its size to its advantage, with 6-foot-4 sophomore Elise Hani (14 points) and her sister, 6-foot freshman Sydney Hani (seven points).

“There’s no real answer to that (size),” Cruz said. “For the most part, we’re just trying to make sure we were physical with (Elise Hani) in the post. For the most part, our game plan worked how I wanted it to, we just came up a little short.”

Lake Washington sophomore Elise Hani (middle) and Interlake senior Mia Robertson (right) jostle for position of a rebound on Dec. 11. Benjamin Olson/staff photo