Allie Quigley retirement night inspires season-high performance from Rebecca Allen

Allie Quigley jersey retirement ceremony at Wintrust Arena - photo courtesy of the Chicago Sky

Imagine playing college basketball for your hometown team, then going pro in the same city and winning a WNBA championship. To make it even sweeter, your jersey becomes the first one retired by the franchise, and the team gets a win on the night they hang it in the rafters.

For Allie Quigley, she doesn't have to imagine it because that's her reality. Not only did the Sky pull away with an 87-76 victory over the Dallas Wings, but they honored Quigley by retiring her jersey, filling each seat in Wintrust Arena with a Quigley towel and giving out Quigley posters and pins.

Quigley, a Joliet native, was a star at DePaul University and became a star for the Sky. After bouncing around the league, she found a home in Chicago, becoming a two-time Sixth Player of the Year and three-time All-Star who never took a free agency meeting with another team.

"There is no Chicago Sky without Allie Quigley," guard Courtney Vandersloot said during a tribute video.

Quigley was so impactful that Sky guard Rachel Banham remembered the daunting task of guarding her.

"I had to guard her, it was awful," Banham said. "She never stops moving. She never gets tired."

Quigley is known as one of the best shooters in the game, especially from three-point range. Her presence must have rubbed off on guard Rebecca Allen, who seemed to channel her inner Quigley. Allen led the Sky with season highs of 27 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Coming off the bench, she was locked in, going 5-for-7 from three-point range.

"It's always fun to hit a couple of shots. I really needed that myself," Allen said. "It's her [Quigley's] night and I'm so glad we could get a win to celebrate that too."

Her performance helped the Sky achieve something they've struggled with: putting together four quarters. The Sky outscored the Wings in every quarter, marking only the second time they've done this all season since their last win against the Wings on May 31.

"Every game is so tough," Allen said. "For us to actually take control of that game and not lose our lead, that's a big growth moment for us."

The Sky needed this win after going 1-4 on their recent road trip. Head coach Tyler Marsh talked about the perseverance this team has shown despite having a 6-14 record.

"We fight, man. We fight. We don't break and we won't break," Marsh said. "Regardless of what the record shows, I got a team of fighters and a locker room of fighters. We've created a new standard of how we want to play. That's the focus, is being true to us moving forward."

Moving forward, the Sky face a tough schedule, playing the Minnesota Lynx three times in the next four games.

If the Sky want to turn their season around, everyone will need to channel their inner Quigley.