It was a special atmosphere at Wintrust Arena for Barbie Night as another chapter closes in the WNBA's newest rivalry as fans of all ages cheered on their favorite players.
"It's really cool to see women now...look where we are... we've come so far and it's really cool to see it now," a Chicago resident named Juliette said.
The stakes were the highest they have been for part four of the Reese-Clark rivalry. The rookie sensations met Friday for the final time in the 2024 regular season when the Sky hosted the Fever.
"To see the woman play... Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese... it was awesome," said Maria Medina, who was visiting from Rockford.
The game had some of the most expensive ticket prices of the season. According to Stubhub, it was the most expensive game in WNBA history, with the average ticket selling for more than $350 dollars and some courtside seats costing nearly $2,000.
Some celebrities made sure to catch the action, with Shaquille O'Neal showing his support for both teams.
ABC7 talked to many fans before the game who were visiting the city just for the matchup. They didn't care about the ticket prices, they were just ready to see some action.
Fans were seen waiting outside ahead of the doors opening, and many of them were there to support Caitlin Clark.
"Well I really like Caitlin Clark myself, she's a great player," said Blair Babcock, who was visiting from Indiana. "I love the way she plays and I really admire her as a player."
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"She's just a really big inspiration to me," WNBA fan Lindsay Nowak said.
It was Barbie night at Wintrust Arena, and Angel Reese embraced the excitement around that as the former "Bayou Barbie" at LSU.
Reese and Clark's rivalry goes back to their college days, and in their rookie season, both are acknowledging how much the WNBA is growing.
"It's great," Clark said. "I mean, you always want people to talk about women's basketball, and you know, hopefully it's done in a way where it's positive about the game and how amazing the game is and how great the players are."
Some of those young fans said there's nothing more special than seeing the two athletes face off in person.
"It's just really cool to see two really good basketball players go against in each other and actually get to see them instead of watching on TV," Zoey Sizemore, who is visiting from Indiana.
Fans said the rivalry was worth the price of admission.
"It's fun to just hangout cheer and yell and see all the hard work these women have put in on the court at this level," said Julie Hauenstein, a Sky fan from Indiana. "Definitely good role models for all the girls."
While the night may not have ended with a Sky win, young fans still left with big smiles after watching their role models.
"They definitely motivate me," said Kyla Nguyen, who was visiting from Nebraska. "They make me go hard in basketball, and basketball is my dream... I want to be just like them when I grow up."