SSHS junior named Athlete of the Week

SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School Junior Sariah Maughan won the Missoulian's Athlete of the Week for the week of March 14 after receiving the most votes. She was nominated after averaging 8.7 points at three State C tournament games the week prior and scoring 12 points in a loser-out victory over Jordan.

Maughan has been playing basketball for seven years after starting at Seeley Lake Elementary in the fifth grade.

"Basketball has always been fun," Maughan wrote in an email. "I like the competitiveness of it." 

Maughan said she really enjoyed playing at both SLE and SSHS because of how close she was to her teammates, being from such a small school. She also appreciates how much her coaches really care about all the players on the team.

Maughan plays point guard for the Lady Blackhawks. She said once she started playing at the high school level, it was challenging to learn how to control the team's offensive game.

"As the point guard I call the plays and start the offense," Maughan wrote. "I had to learn which plays work best for each defense." 

Maughan has been a part of the team that made it to the State Championship game for the past two years. This year she also made All-State.

"This season was fun. Our team came out ready to work and do what needed to be done," Maughan wrote. "We focused on the team that was in front of us, not the team we were going to play next week. Our team worked really well together and it showed throughout the whole season and into tournaments."

Maughan was nominated for Athlete of the Week earlier in the season, however, she took second in the popular vote.

Maughan wrote, "It feels great to earn the recognition at the end of the season because of all the work I put in." 

This is Maughan's second time being named Athlete of the Week. Her first recognition was for the week of Oct. 27, 2019. She was nominated for leading the volleyball team in the five-set win against Clark Fork Oct. 24 followed by her fourth-place finish leading the Lady Blackhawks to the Class C Cross Country State title.

Each week, the Missoulian sports department nominates three boys and three girls for "Prep Athletes of the Week." Readers may vote for one girl and one boy from Sunday at 12 p.m. through 5 p.m. on Tuesday at Missoulian.com. The winners are announced in the Missoulian's Thursday edition and appear in a special advertisement, sponsored by Republic Services, each Sunday.