Sky loses final tuneup; Sparks' Parker no-show
SPARKS 84, SKY 68
The Sky's preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates was supposed to be a rematch of the NCAA semifinal between LSU's Sylvia Fowles and Tennessee's Candace Parker, the top picks in the WNBA draft.
But Parker, the WNBA's No. 1 draft choice, didn't make the trip with the Sparks. She is in Knoxville, Tenn., for graduation ceremonies today.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
Fowles did show, and so did Sparks center Lisa Leslie, who is back this season after a maternity leave. Leslie scored a game-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and had seven rebounds as the Sparks beat the Sky 84-68. The Sky concluded the preseason with a 2-1 record.
Leslie and Fowles were teammates on the U.S. national team that played a pre-Olympic tournament in Beijing last month.
''It was a little tough that I had to go against her, but it was a life lesson,'' said Fowles, who scored 10 points and had nine rebounds. ''You can learn so much from Lisa. She's a mother figure, a sister and a mentor.''
Fowles said there was a letdown for her, but not because Parker didn't make the trip. Fowles was not happy with the way she and her teammates played, saying they were rushing the offense and not playing their style of ballgame.
Fowles also admitted she was nervous.
''There were a lot of jitters,'' Fowles said. ''I know how big the game was for the media.''
The teams will play each other again during the regular season June 3 at the UIC Pavilion. That game, and not this preseason one, is more important for the Sky in the long run.
''I think that this is a preseason game and you're thinking about your team,'' said Brooke Wyckoff, who led the Sky with 12 points. ''Every game is just as important and we're not looking ahead [to June].''
The Sky trailed nearly the entire game and was down 45-34 at halftime and then 68-51 after the third quarter.
Sky coach Stephen Key described the game as ''a heavyweight fight'' but was pleased that his team was able to match the Sparks' intensity.
But there was some disappointment that Parker was absent.
''We'll be playing them in June, and that's when it counts, but I'm disappointed for the fans,'' he said.
The Sky's Dominique Canty, Candice Dupree, Cathy Joens and Bernadette Ngoyisa are still playing overseas. The four should be back at training camp by Monday.
