SOUTHBURY — Pomperaug senior guard Alex Rafferty remembers the silence of the Frank Sippy Gymnasium at Pomperaug High on Jan. 17.
By JASON LEVY
The Panthers were hosting Notre Dame-Fairfield, the top girls basketball teams in the South-West Conference and the state.
They ultimately lost a close game, 69-60, but that’s not why the night stands out.
“I was running down the court, getting a loose ball,” Rafferty said Thursday during practice. “And somebody came behind me, I didn’t see her and I just bent the wrong way and went down. It was so quiet in the gym. I have been so upset, honestly.”
Rafferty suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, ending her season and her Pomperaug basketball career in an instant. Rafferty heads for surgery on March 11.
It was a bitter pill to swallow not for herself, but for her teammates as well.
“It was hard, especially that game and witnessing it happen,” Pomperaug senior Jada Stietzel said. “It was definitely difficult, but I think we have overcome it pretty much.”
The Panthers have endured, running up a 7-3 record since Rafferty’s injury. Fellow seniors Stietzel, Cara McGettigan, Maddie Villa and Molly Flanagan have helped the team pick up the slack over the last month.
“It’s been a pretty big adjustment,” McGettigan said. “She was one of our best defenders and shooters. It’s been hard having her out. She is a really good teammate. You still hear her on the bench cheering us on.”
Rafferty has been helping out any way she can, coming to every game and practice to support her teammates.
“You can’t replace Alex Rafferty,” said Pomperaug coach Joe Fortier. “Just her personality, her leadership skills, she’s been the heart and soul of the team for a long time. The way she conducts herself and keeps everyone together. She hasn’t missed a practice or game since her injury. She came back the next day. From that standpoint she is still there.”
Rafferty is confident Pomperaug can make a deep run in the SWC and Class L tournaments. She will attend Fairfield University in the fall, where she expects to play intramural or club basketball as soon as she is able.
“I will definitely keep basketball in my life forever,” she said.