June 11. The Sky are down 35-19 on the road against the Fever and in desperate need of a momentum shift. Enter Sydney Taylor with 6:22 on the clock in the second quarter.

4:21: Sydney Taylor makes a driving layup

2:47: Sydney Taylor makes a 12-footer

1:41: Sydney Taylor makes another driving layup

1:13: Sydney Taylor makes a deep three

All of a sudden, the Sky have cut the lead to single digits and Taylor, an undrafted rookie guard, is up to nine quick points.

By the end of the game, you would have never guessed the Sky were trailing by as many as 16 points. She set a career high of 30 points against the Fever in that game, becoming just the second WNBA player in league history to score at least 30 points in 21 or fewer minutes. 

“Are you kidding me,” Sky legend Candace Parker said on the game call after Taylor hit her ninth field goal and third three-pointer of the night at the conclusion of the third quarter.

While Taylor’s breakout performance may have turned some heads, this is nothing new for the 24-year-old bonafide bucket. Taylor exudes a cool confidence, even in the face of the league’s best teams. She ignited the Wintrust Arena crowd in her preseason outing against Atlanta, and she’s continuing to stack tremendous games.

Taylor had her first elite game against Toronto at home on May 27. She led the Sky in scoring for the first time in her young career with 27 points across 23 minutes in that game.

As a young player and on a team with veteran guards, there was no certainty Taylor would play heavy minutes this season. But Taylor is turning heads and proving to everyone else what she has known all along: that she’s an unmatched scorer.

Taylor’s heroic performance that paired nicely with All-Star Skylar Diggins’ clutch shot-making in the Indiana game earned her the first start of her career on Wednesday against New York.

Her first stint as a member of the starting lineup continued her hot hand. She again led the Sky in scoring with 24 points, and bumped her average to 27 on 66.7% shooting from the field and 57.1% from three in her last two games.

The Sky, with Taylor in the featured starting role, got out to a quick 15-point lead against one of the league’s best in New York.

With just 15.6 seconds left in the game and the score all tied up, Taylor found herself among yet another highlight reel-worthy moment, as she drained her shot from beyond the arc, putting the Sky ahead by one at 95-94. 

Despite New York taking the game due to a last-minute bucket, Taylor’s toughness was once again in full display.

Whether coming off the bench or stepping into the starting lineup, Taylor has made every second of her court presence count. Her historic outing against Indiana may have introduced her to the limelight and garnered an overall interest from spectators, but her production from the matchup against New York proves she’s far from one-dimensional and has much more to show the world. Her fearless demeanor and consistency down the stretch have become one of the biggest developments of the season, not just for the Sky, but for the WNBA.