Houston (#3) finished in 9th place over Jacksonville (#10)

By Shelly Shankya

The first of the placement games on Day 3 of Landlocked Lace Up featured Houston Roller Derby (#3) and Jacksonville Rollergirls (#10), each with something to prove.

Photo by Taura Horn Photography

Houston came into the tournament with hopes to make it to Championships, but after a loss to Atlanta in the first round, and a move to the consolation bracket, things went south for the skaters from Texas. They went into their final bout hoping to prove their place in the tournament. Jacksonville, on the other hand, came to establish themselves in the region. As a new team, Miley Virus, blocker and sometimes jammer, noted the team's freshness earlier in the tournament as a driving force.

"We definitely did not come into this tournament ready," Houston jammer Death by Chocolate said. "I'm glad to see that Atlanta is doing so well after their win against us. This season has been tough for a lot of the three-seed teams, but it's given exposure to some other teams like Ohio and DC, and that's a good thing."

The first period had an uneven exchange of lead jammer status, markedly in favor of Houston. Jammer Beverly Kills was able to grab lead jammer every time she was at the jammer line. Houston's ability to effectively and quickly gain lead jammer defined the bout. Jacksonville got lead jammer only six times in the first half, and their score reflected it, though it was certainly a valiant effort. The score at the half was 150-77.

Houston came out the half reinvigorated, playing their best derby of the weekend. In the first four jams, they kept Jacksonville scoreless. Jacksonville jammer Meow Mix dropped the star cover during her initial pass and snuck by to grab the cover and three points, their first of the period. Jacksonville saw an opening and tried to squeeze in a few points when they saw two power jams in the twelfth and thriteenth jams, scoring 26 points. Houston slammed the door shut almost instantly, after calling a timeout to regroup.

There was confusion in the 20th jam, however, as Houston jammer Death by Chocolate thought the jam had been called and made her way to the bench. After being waved back onto the track Death went on to score more points as Jacksonville jammer Meow Mix was sent to the box for a major. The confusion drew an official timeout and then Jacksonville jammer and blocker Nuke fouled out of the game. The final score was 255-155.

"We've definitely got our heads on straight now," Death by Chocolate said. "And we'll keep building."

Houston secured 9th place after a roller coaster of a weekend. Jacksonville stayed at #10, where they entered.

Houston Roller Derby (#3) 255 - 9th Place
Jacksonville Rollergirls (#10) 155 - 10th Place