Detroit (#6) keeps Mad Rollin' Dolls (#10) at bay

By Vile Love It

The last game of 2012 North Central Region Playoffs Day 2 was between Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls (#10) and the Detroit Derby Girls (#6). The two teams might look different but had similar playing styles: tight defensive play, heavy cycling hits, and when the pack wasn’t stopped, it moved super fast.

The defensive battle between two hard-hitting teams with tough walls came down to penalty minutes and the ability to take advantage of the power jams and lightly populated packs.  Detroit was able to kill off Madison’s power jams without much damage even when they were short blockers. Madison wasn’t as as successful at coordinating their offense to help their jammers put up big points on power jams in their favor.

Photo by David Van Deman

The last time Detroit and Madison met was in April of 2011.  Detroit won that one 205-53.  This time, though Detroit scored almost the same number of points, Madison was able to more than double their points.

Detroit struck early and hard, holding Madison’s jammer to four points  in the second jam while they grabbed 14 points.  It was something Detroit duplicated many times during the game.

“We knew they were going to push our walls pretty hard. They are pretty rapid-fire hitters. We knew we needed to stay low and slow and stick it out,” said Detroit’s Honey Suckit. “We were hoping that it would affect them mentally.  Plus, we tried to stay consistent and their penalties got high while we were able to stay out of the box more.

Madison did rally at several points during the game, but their gains were not enough to close the gap that Detroit continued to build on.

“We went in to play our game. We got a little side-tracked for a bit  in the beginning and then we adjusted,” said Madison’s Twisted Halo. “We changed our jammers up at half-time and decided that we needed to make sure to play as partners.  Detroit players are very heavy hitters and we felt that if we were together we’d manage their hits better. “

Madison spent 39 minutes in the penalty box; six of them jammer minutes, compared to Detroit’s 27 minutes (four spent by their jammers).  It took its toll on Madison in the second half,  as their  jammer spent time in the box during three consecutive jams. Detroit served up their two top jammers: Cookie Rumble and Racer McChaseHer. They grabbed 28 points collectively to bring the score to 123-62.

“We were definitely penalty heavy.  There’s not much we can do about  it. It is what it is,” said Twisted Halo.  “When a game is really intense I think a lot of girls commit a lot more penalties.

Detroit Derby Girls 204
Mad Rollin' Dolls 116