My friends and I enjoyed a Mexican food feast as we watched the WNBA playoffs featuring our Chicago Sky. The food was fantastic, but the game was very disappointing.

We met at Las Fuentes just as the game started. We immediately ordered a round of drinks and chicken nachos to start the night. Hearty tortilla chips, stacked with pinto beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and salsa made this appetizer a winner.

My drink of choice, a frozen mango margarita, was also a winner. The key to a good margarita, other than quality tequila, is a good blend. A frozen margarita should be thick without being chunky, and it should never be blended too much that it almost becomes a regular margarita. A truly great frozen margarita should be like a milkshake right to the bottom of the glass. This frozen margarita and the following couple were served perfectly.

I liked the chicken nachos so much, I ordered another plate as my main meal. Coupled with the basket of fresh tortilla chips, this was the perfect food to accompany chatter and game-watching.

Unfortunately, the Sky were beaten by the Connecticut Sun to end their season. After leading the Eastern Conference for most of the season, the Sky scuffled into the playoffs, losing six of the last seven games. The first half was an exciting ending with the teams tied, but the Sun came out strong in the third quarter and eventually won 94–81.

This loss stung a bit more than usual for everyone. The players endured 90 days away from their lives as they were isolated at the IMG Academy in Florida.

Courtney Vandersloot

For me, it meant the end of seeing the team in daily media sessions. Over the course of the season I saw the highs and lows, the pressure and the laughter. I looked forward to the daily Zoom chats with players like Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Cheyenne Parker and others. Seeing the pain in their faces and voices after the game felt like seeing friends suffer. Although it was a tough loss, it does not diminish the enjoyment I had watching this team all season.

Allie Quigley

Cheyenne Parker

Despite the loss, the evening was wonderful as we laughed while taking turns being sideline analysts of the game. The game was a loss, but the evening was a big win.

— John Wroblewski, online writer