The Seeley Lake community sends off the Lady Blackhawks in style.
On a sunny Thursday afternoon, Seeley Lake's Lady Blackhawks were escorted through town in their traveling bus by a fire truck, cop cars, an ambulance and a bunch of waving and cheering elementary school students and faculty.
Lined up in the parking lot of the school, students smiled and waved and held signs in support of their older peers heading to Divisional basketball tournaments.
The Lady Blackhawks took fourth overall this year.
"They finished with a lot of heart," Coach David Cahoon said.
When asked to reflect on any players that stood out to him throughout the season, Cahoon went on to list every single team member. With each lady's name, one could practically hear him smiling as he talked.
Captain Aubrey Matthew he remembered as an eighth grader who practiced with the team, and as a freshman went to tournaments with the team. Apparently, Matthew had all these zoo animal facts to share, hence her inherited nickname, Zu Zu.
Darby Gleason was point guard, but could play any position.
Kilty Hansen initially couldn't dribble left-handed, but ended up playing point guard this year.
Lillian Boyd scored 27 points in tournaments.
Rilyn Richardson, Laicey Auchenbach ... Cahoon's enthusiasm poured over for each player he brought up.
Cahoon said he texted a bunch of his players saying he can't believe the season's over and that he's going to miss them. And how weird it is that they didn't have practice Monday night.
"It's easy to be devoted to them because they work their butts off," Cahoon said.
This was Cahoon's fifth season as the head coach for the Lady Blackhawks and his seventh season coaching overall. The Lady Blackhawks won Divisionals in 2020 and 2021.
Normally he coaches track after basketball, but is taking a "sabbatical" this year to build a house for his family. It'll be the first time in 11 years he hasn't coached track. He intends on returning as the Lady Blackhawk's coach next basketball season, kicking off the season with summer basketball in June.
Perfectly competent at too many things
Keely's journalism career started with staff positions at the Lone Peak Lookout and The Madisonian in southwest Montana and freelancing for Dance Spirit Magazine.
In 2023, she completed a legislative reporting fellowship with KFF Health News during Montana's 68th legislative session and graduated with an MA in Environmental Journalism from the University of Montana. Keely completed a summer fire reporting internship with Montana Free Press in 2022.
Her bylines include Scientific American, Modern Farmer, U.S. News & World Report, CBS News, The New Republic, KFF Health News, Montana Free Press, Ars Technica, Mountain Journal and Outside Business Journal.
She also is a producer and editor for a Montana Public Radio podcast.
Keely received her undergraduate degrees in History and Religious Studies from Montana State University in 2017.
In her spare time, she's dancing, drinking processo and running around the mountains.
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