CHICAGO — The end of the regular season has come, and the Chicago Sky are still playing basketball for the fifth straight year.

It didn’t always look like that might be the case in 2023, but thanks to a strong final week, the group got themselves into the WNBA Playoffs after a year of change.

Oh, and they also locked down their best player for the next few years.

The team won their final three games of their regular season, defeating the Fever on the road 96-69 on the road on September 5, the Lynx at home on Friday 92-87, then the Sun on the road Sunday 102-91 to finish 18-22 on the year.

It was a game clear of the Sparks for the eighth and final spot in the WNBA Playoffs, earning a date with the top-seeded Aces in the best-of-three semifinal starting on Wednesday night in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. central time.

Game 2 will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m. central time at Michelob ULTRA Arena with a potential Game 3 in Chicago on September 20.

Courtney Williams had a lot to do with the final week sweep for the Sky that locked them in the playoffs for a fifth-straight year as she averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in the three games.

For her efforts, the guard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the first on the Sky to receive that honor in 2023.

The team also got some great news in the form of a contract before the start of the playoffs as they signed Kahleah Copper to a two-year contract extension. The three-time WNBA All-Star and 2021 Finals MVP has become the team’s leader and most productive player, averaging 18 points with 4.4 rebounds and two assists per contest.