Omaha (#8) takes on Texas (#1)

By Shelly Shankya

South Central's top seed, Texas Rollergirls (#1) took on Omaha Rollergirls (#8) in the penultimate game of Day 1 at Landlocked Lace Up.

Photo by Taura Horn Photography

Omaha defeated Tallahassee Rollergirls earlier in the day--the first time they've been able to advance past the first round of play in the three years they've made it to playoffs. And for their second-round game they faced six-time veterans to the South Central Regional tournament, the Texas Rollergirls.

Each point the ladies from Omaha scored during the first half was cause for celebration on their bench, while Texas kept their game faces on the whole time, living up to their "Texas! Texas! Kill! Kill! Kill!" motto. The score at halftime was 169-19 in favor of Texas.

"Every game is 100% for us," Texas blocker Desi Cration said. "Every opponent is a threat on the track. We play every game with everything we've got."

The Texecutioners' veteran skill showed during the second half, just as it had in the first. Pack pace quickened when Texas saw fit, and slowed just as easily; they controlled things from the first whistle, and halftime didn't affect that control as the clock wound down. The team had a slight hiccup after pivot Luce Bandit accepted a star pass from Killbox and was sent to the box for a back block major. This power jam opportunity for Omaha resulted in 11 points. Texas called a timeout to regroup after Omaha's power jam, and responded only a few jams later when veteran jammer Olivia Shootin' John scored 30 points with six natural grand slams.

"We've got a lot of veteran skaters on this team and a lot of up-and-coming skaters as well," Desi Cration said. "Our veteran skaters help our team, but it's our fresh legs and fresh attitudes that keep us on our toes."

In the end, Texas held Omaha to 53 points in the second half while picking up 206 of their own. The final score was 375-72. Texas advances to play Tampa Roller Derby on Day 2, and Omaha will play the loser of Bout 7.

Texas Rollergirls (#1) 375
Omaha Rollergirls (#8) 72