Christopher Lockridge 
The Sky recently fought till the final buzzer but it wasn’t enough. New York Liberty edged the Chicago Sky 77-76. Both teams where fighting for this game with two lead changes towards the end of the game and tied for times.
Even with a key defensive player out, Rebekah Gardner who recently had surgery, and four others due to injuries, the Sky still played tough defense forcing 11 turnovers for New York, scoring 13 points off turnovers.
The star player for the Sky was Kahleah Cooper with 18 points and seven rebounds. Despite Cooper going down with one minute left in the second quarter due to a scary ankle injury, she managed to fight though and play in the second half. Coach James Wade stated, “Kahleah is doing okay. She played through the ankle and we can hope it gets better over time.”
When Coach Wade was asked what did he see on that last play, Wade stated, “On the last play, I messed up. I drew it up wrong. I should have called a extra timeout. The players went out and did their best. That’s on me. Us competing with a power team don’t mean nothing if we don’t win even if it’s by one point.”
Alanna Smith also had a good game with 14 points and six rebounds. Marina Mcbrey also contributed with 11 points to go along with four rebounds.
There were some familiar faces in Wintrust lining up against the Sky with Courtney Vandersloot and Stefanie Dolson, two former Sky players who were a part of the 2020 championship team now on the New York Liberty. Chicago did a good job holding Vandersloot as she had only four points, five assist, and three rebounds.
Top players for the Liberty were Betnijah Laney with 13 points, Breanna Stewart with 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Jonquel Jones with 10 points and two rebounds. The Sky did a good job at holding star Liberty player Sabrina Iconescu to only two points.
On day two, The Sky will beat the Liberty in two day in New York 86-82.
By Christopher Lockridge
Instagram: Lockotb
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