‘I know she’s never going to leave my side’: Raiders play to honor Pittsfield’s Ramsey in final home game

QUINCY — They braided their hair into pigtails in Reese Ramsey trademark style. They took the floor for warmups with red “RR” stickers affixed to their shooting shirts. They wore red ribbons in their hair.

And they spoke emotionally and eloquently about a friend they lost and will remember forever.

The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players won a game, too, Thursday night, but it was the backdrop to something more important.

This was a show of camaraderie and compassion for a community trying to come to grips with an unthinkable tragedy.

“You want everyone to know she touched all of our lives,” QND senior guard Sage Stratton said after the third-ranked Raiders ended the regular season with a 61-36 victory over Jefferson City (Mo.) Helias at The Pit. “We’re hurting with them and praying for them.”

And the Raiders are coming to grips with it themselves.

Ramsey, the freshman standout on the Pittsfield girls basketball team, was killed in a three-vehicle accident Tuesday night, while two of her teammates — sophomore Deeghan Allen and freshman Lincoln McCartney — remain hospitalized with injuries suffered in the accident.

Throughout the region, an outpouring of love and support for the Pittsfield community has taken place. Before Thursday’s game, Stratton and QND sophomore forward Marie Eversman addressed the crowd. Stratton trained with Ramsey, while Eversman played on the same AAU team.

Their words were strong and poignant, and instead of observing a moment of silence for Ramsey, the duo asked the crowd to stand and give Ramsey a standing ovation.

It was a fitting tribute filled with tears and applause.

“I thought Sage and Marie did a wonderful job of really telling her story,” QND coach Eric Orne said. “They expressed how heartbroken we are, but at the same time, how she still lives with us. That’s important moving forward because we know we have an angel above us as we take the next journey in our postseason adventure.”

Ramsey’s presence won’t be forgotten.

“These have been the longest days of my life and the hardest,” Stratton said. “It’s difficult losing someone you talk to almost every single day, and not having that there anymore is really hard. But I know she’s never going to leave my side.

“I have to stay strong for her and keep praying for her family and for everyone involved.”

The challenge comes in the quiet moments away from the court when the two would normally text each other.

“It sucks not going to her after this game and talking about it,” said Stratton, who scored a game-high 23 points. “That was probably our favorite thing to do — watch each other’s games and talk to each other about it.”

Stratton knows what Thursday’s message would have been.

“She definitely would have made fun of me for turning over the ball,” Stratton said. “She would have been like, ‘What are you doing?’”

Ramsey likely would have talked about Stratton’s first 3-pointer as well.

QND won the game’s opening tip and swung the ball immediately to Stratton in the right corner. She didn’t hesitate, launching a 3-point attempt as a Helias defender closed. The shot caught nothing but net, kickstarting a 20-4 run to begin the game.

“Opening up with a three meant everything to me because that’s her specialty, too,” Stratton said. “I knew she was looking down on me and guiding me through this game. She’s watching over me and she’s never going to leave my side. That shot meant everything to me.”

Defense took over from there, stifling the Crusaders’ attack and forcing six turnovers in the opening salvo.

“That’s the maturity I’ve seen this team have this year in certain situations,” Orne said. “These were different types of emotions, but they handled it and gave our seniors one last victory on their home floor.”

Playing the game is what the Raiders needed to do.

“Playing is the best medicine,” Stratton said. “It’s better than sitting by yourself in a room thinking about it. It gets your mind off the situation. And that’s where I feel closest to Reese, on this court playing basketball and doing my thing. I think that’s what she’d want.”