14-Year-Old Dies After Collapsing At Basketball Game

MOMENCE, IL — A 14-year-old from Momence died last week after collapsing during a basketball game.

Amari Crite died Thursday at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, according to her obituary. The Momence High School freshman was on the court during a junior varsity game against Tri-Point High School when she collapsed, The Daily Journal reported.

An athlete who participated in volleyball, basketball and cheerleading, Amari also played the guitar and piano, according to her obituary, which said she enjoyed drawing and doing hair. She was a member of Total Deliverance Church in Aroma Park and is survived by her parents, Anthony and Michelle Crite, as well as her seven siblings and her grandparents.

The cause of death was pending, The Daily Journal reported, and grief counselors were available Friday at Momence High School.

“Our primary focus right now is on supporting one another and providing the necessary resources for our community to cope with this loss,” Superintendent Shannon Anderson said in a prepared statement, according to The Daily Journal.

Amari Crite’s family has started a GoFundMe to raise money for her end-of-life services.

“We are asking for any and everyone to help us give her the proper home going she deserves,” Michelle Crite wrote on the GoFundMe. “No amount to small no amount to big. And most of all we need prayer!”