The celebration was deafening as Seeley Lake Elementary students and staff lined the parking lot holding signs and cheering for the Lady Blackhawks. The bus was escorted from Seeley-Swan High School and through town by local law enforcement. Many other members of the community lined the highway to show their support as the bus headed to Lockwood for the state tournament Tuesday, March 9.
Senior Captain Aspen Conley shooting for three in the matchup against Manhattan Christian. "The coaches [helped us to stay motivated]. They believed in us the most and knew if we put everything out there, that we could have a great outcome," Aspen said.
Junior Captain Sariah Maughan bringing the ball down the court. Sariah said, "I prepared for the tournament by focusing on my role on the team, handling the ball and making shots."
Senior Captain Klaire Kovatch puts in a contested shot from the key in the win against Jordan. "Coming out on top of Jordan was our high point of the weekend," Klaire said. "It was good to prove to ourselves that we belonged there and that we could win a game at state!"
Senior Bethany Hoag quickly releases a shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the first half. "We worked our tails off to get to state ...at the end of the day, even though we didn't come home with any trophies, we worked hard and had a lot of fun," she said.
Sophomore Emily Maughan lays in an easy shot after she can't be caught following a steal. "Our team had so much chemistry built between each and every player, which helped us work so well together," Emily said.
LOCKWOOD, MONTANA - Tuesday, March 9 the Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks began their trek to the Class C State Basketball Tournament in Lockwood. The Lady Blackhawks, led by Head Coach David Cahoon and Assistant Coach Colleen Stone, once again entered the State tournament as the 13-C District Champions and Western C Division Champions. However, this year they also held an undefeated record. With last year's state appearance under their belts, they felt a little more comfortable.
Senior Bethany Hoag stated, "Last year we didn't know what to expect...This year we knew we could make it back and it was in our game plan all season. So we were more ready when it hit."
Junior Sariah Maughan added, "Last year was almost like a dream but this year we knew we belonged there and that we had some work to do...if we started to lack motivation then Dave would find some way to put us back on track."
The Lady Blackhawks lost out in their first two games last year, "We didn't want to come out of the state tournament like we did last year so being mentally prepared led to motivation," stated Senior Klaire Kovatch.
Sophomore Emily Maughan added, "Last year we were really just thrown into it, rushed in and rushed out. [This year] we actually got to relax and bond over this experience. We were able to appreciate the fact that we made it to state, because not every team gets to."
The Blackhawks returned five players who had experience as starters: Klaire, Bethany, Senior Aspen Conley, Sariah and Emily. Also returning as key players were Junior Trista Wendel and Sophomores Kyla Conley and Danielle Sexton.
Wednesday morning, the Blackhawks faced off with the Outlaws of Roy/Winifred in the first round of the tournament. The Blackhawks took off early winning the tip but couldn't get the shot to fall and Roy/Winifred was the first to score. However, Klaire put the Hawks on the board with a lone free throw.
It didn't take long for the Hawks to take the lead. But their opponents took it back by half time with a 20-13 lead, narrowed by a shot on the buzzer from Bethany. Bethany was high point with 11, followed closely by Emily with 10. The Blackhawks weren't about to go down without a fight causing 27 turnovers in total and making a run on the Outlaws in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't quite enough. The Outlaws came out with the 39-31 finish.
"We never gave up when our shots weren't falling, we just locked down our defense," said Sariah. "I'm proud of how we fought until the very end."
Thursday afternoon, the Lady Blackhawks got up and set their focus onto game two, a loser out game versus Jordan, and the Blackhawks landed ready to play.
"The game against Jordan just felt more natural. The team was working well together, and we were able to fall into a rhythm of sorts and play Blackhawks basketball," said Klaire.
The Blackhawks took the lead early, with a steal and a bucket from Kyla. They never gave it back, outscoring the Mustangs by 22 points in the first half.
"Our team works really well together. We know if someone's hot, so we get it to them. If someone is feeling down, we know how to get them back into the game," Sariah said.
Klaire led the Hawks with 17 points while Sariah added 12, and Kyla contributed 11 in the 64-34 victory.
Aspen said the win was a great high point for them, "Since last year we lost out right away, it was good to finally get a win at state."
The victory led them to game three of the tournament on Friday afternoon, a rematch against the previously conquered Manhattan Christian Eagles where the Blackhawks prevailed and took home the Division Gold. This time it was Manhattan's turn, however, the Hawks didn't hand it over easily.
The Blackhawks came out strong in the first half, causing a plethora of turnovers and holding onto the lead at half time after a last second Eagle shot brought the score within one.
"Rebounding was one of our strong points this weekend, both offensively and defensively. We also had a lot of steals! We have gotten way better at playing passing lanes and having good footwork to get the ball quick. Lots of steals means more possessions," Klaire stated.
The Blackhawks started the second half off with a small cold streak that allowed the Eagles to take the lead. However, the Blackhawks went on a run of their own and with three minutes left in the third, were only down by one. From there the buckets were back and forth, but Manhattan slowly took the lead to seven.
At two minutes, Sariah drained a three to shrink the gap to four. The Blackhawks had a hard time getting shots to fall and the Eagles took the game, 44-37. Klaire led the Blackhawks with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"I am so proud of this team...There was always support from one another no matter how the game went. This team has worked great together from the start, and every single one of them helped us get to where we wanted," said Aspen.
Holding their heads high, the Lady Blackhawks congratulated their opponents and left the gym with teary smiles and a season to be proud of.
Coach Stone said, "After our loss to Manhattan Christian, to just be proud of what we accomplished and to not hang our heads because we put everything we had into that season."
"That's what I am, proud. I am incredibly proud to be a part of the Lady Blackhawks basketball team," Bethany said. "I couldn't ask for a better group of fans to support us. It was a great senior year. While I'm sad it's over, I am thankful for all the amazing memories that I have now, and I am grateful for the opportunity to play."
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