Krause: Spartans’ Carey has a poignant finale

WORCESTER – Molly Carey of St. Mary’s got on the floor at the end of Saturday’s Division 3 girls basketball state championship game. That might not seem like much, but to her it was everything.”Definitely bittersweet,” said Carey after the Spartans won the state title with a 64-54 win over Lee. “But also more sweet than bitter, especially since I never thought I’d see the court this year.”Carey was one of four returning seniors to this year’s squad that looked primed to make a deep run in the tournament before the 2010 school year even ended. Then, in the waning minutes of a tournament loss in lacrosse, the unthinkable happened. She tried to avoid colliding with a teammate, her leg got caught in the Manning Field turf, and her ACL tore.”We were down by six goals,” she said. “I’ll always remember it.”Her senior season in soccer – her No. 1 sport – was gone. And so, the thought, was basketball.After Dr. Ira Evans of Sports Medicine North rebuilt her knee, she went to work, rehabbing at Performance Plus. She worked diligently (“worked my butt off,” she said), and by January – despite earlier misgivings – she was pronounced fit to play.”I’m still not there yet,” she said, “but to get on the floor for this game ? I’m very happy.”Coach Jeff Newhall certainly felt Carey’s pain ? both as the injury happened (he was there to see it) and when she got back.”That’s a tough situation to be in,” he said. “She started all last year, she works her way back ? and ?”And ? by the time she was ready to return, freshman Brianna Rudolph had already established herself.”She understood,” Newhall said. “And I have to say this. That Pentucket game (North semifinal) was a tough one, and we had freshmen on the floor. During timeouts, she was the first one, as captain, to go over to them, talk to them, and settle them down. So even though she might not have gotten in that game, her contributions were invaluable.”What could have been a difficult situation all around became easier “because of my coach and my teammates. They made sure they included me in everything they did.”It was difficult (to watch), knowing that I wasn’t in the picture,” she said.St. Mary’s had a seemingly insurmountable lead in the closing minutes, but Lee scored 16 straight points to close it up in a hurry, and that surge probably cost Carey some more floor time, not to mention an ovation. But during the middle of that stretch – perhaps as a way to calm the freshmen down – Carey did play for a brief spell.”I worked hard to get into shape to play the last part of our season,” Carey said. “And now that it’s over, I can’t even describe how I feel. It just feels incredible.”If you’re looking for bitterness out of her, considering that two-thirds of her senior athletic career was lost to her, look somewhere else. You won’t get it from her.”It’s all good,” she said. “I wish I was in there playing. But this was exciting ? nerve-wracking in the end – but exciting.”Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item.