The Sidelines : Girl Cager Dies During Practice

A female high school basketball player who became ill during a practice session collapsed and died as she was being led out of a gymnasium. Her brother also died as a high school athlete.

Patty LiVolsi, 16, a junior at Immaculate High School, collapsed in a hallway Monday evening moments after she told an assistant coach she was feeling nauseous, Coach Joseph Appello said.

She was pronounced dead at Danbury Hospital. The State Medical Examiner’s Office in Farmington performed an autopsy today, but released no information pending further study.

LiVolsi’s older brother, Greg, died several years ago of a heart condition while he was in high school, said Appello. He was a football and basketball player.

The team has dedicated the basketball season to LiVolsi.

Father Robert Post, principal of Immaculate, said LiVolsi had had a physical before the school year began.

“I read her physical this morning, and there was nothing to indicate that there was any disorder,” Post said today.

Post said he did not know whether LiVolsi had ever been tested for a heart condition like her brother’s, but said he knew of no previous incidents when she had felt ill before a game.