WASHINGTON — Sky forward Morgan Bertsch has been busy in the last three weeks.
No, she wasn’t active with her teammates on the court after spraining an ankle May 26 against the Mystics, but she was working in the background of every practice. Many times, the work was meticulous, requiring a lot of patience.
On Sunday against the Mystics, Bertsch had no use for patience. After missing eight games, it was ‘‘go’’ time.
‘‘I’m not going to go out there and be fragile,’’ Bertsch said before scoring a team-high 16 points and making four three-pointers in the Sky’s 77-69 loss, their fourth defeat in a row. ‘‘I’m going to still try and play my game because that’s the only way to get back into it.’’
The first step of Bertsch’s rehab process was to give her ankle time to recover. She needed the swelling to go down before beginning strength-training exercises.
A key for Bertsch in making a successful return after an extended absence is trusting the work she has put in with the Sky’s training staff and allowing that trust to temper any anxiety she might have. It’s easier said than done.
In the back of her mind were thoughts about how much the Sky’s thin roster needed her. Another mental hurdle was to understand her injury only would keep her sidelined temporarily.
‘‘I was on a good roll coming straight from overseas,’’ Bertsch said. ‘‘Having had this break, it was tough mentally. I finally accomplished this goal and then had a minor setback. In the long run, it is only a minor setback. I feel very confident that I’ll be able to come back and contribute how I was prior to the injury.’’
Bertsch was drafted by the Wings with the 29th pick in 2019 and signed training-camp contracts with the Sun in 2021 and the Wings in 2022. Overseas, however, is where she has developed, competing in EuroLeague for teams in Russia, Poland and Belgium.
Coach/general manager James Wade has favored signing experienced overseas players over traditional rookies since joining the Sky in November 2018. The only rookies he has kept on his rosters are guard Dana Evans and forward Ruthy Hebard.
Wade made waves last season when he signed 32-year-old guard Rebekah Gardner, who had played 10 seasons overseas before getting an opportunity in the WNBA. Bertsch, who was brought in on a training-camp contract before earning a spot on the Sky’s final roster, is another example of Wade preferring experience over in-house development.
Bertsch was on a minutes restriction Sunday against the Mystics. Wade joked he tuned his training staff out when they advised him Bertsch could play only a limited role.
After the Mystics scored the first six points, Wade inserted Bertsch, Evans and Taylor Soule in place of Elizabeth Williams, Courtney Williams and Kahleah Copper. In her first 30 seconds on the court, Bertsch made the Sky’s first field goal.
Clutch time
Of the Sky’s three consecutive losses entering the game, one came at the hands of the reigning champions Aces, against whom they looked utterly outmatched.
But their losses to the Sparks and Fever came in ‘‘clutch’’ games — defined as games within five points in the last five minutes — they couldn’t close out. Eight of the Sky’s games have been decided in clutch time, with the team going 4-4.
‘‘I still think we have to get used to each other,’’ Wade said. ‘‘They need to be even more focused on the attention to detail. It’s stuff like that we’re still working through.’’
