Sacramento, CA

THE TAMPA TANTRUMS SCOOP UP THE FIFTH PLACE SPOT OVER THE TERMINAL CITY ALL-STARS

By Jezebelle Z. Bub

Five seed Terminal City All-Stars (#18) faced off against 7 seed Tampa Tantrums (#26) in a fight for 5th place in the international 2014 WFTDA D1 Playoffs. Both teams grabbed points tit for tat, with the first period ending nicely for Terminal City, but Tampa staged a massive rally in the second half Tampa to take a 182-156 win.

The game started with Little A juking her way out of the pack and nabbing the first three points for Tampa, 3-0.

Tampa jammer PhDiesel faced off against Terminal City’s Maiden Sane. Sane took the lead just barely squeezing past the Tampa blockers while Terminal City blockers held PhDeisel by resetting and forming strong two-walls. Sane hit the penalty box, and PhDiesel pulled in seven points for Tampa.

In the third jam, NazDroveya Wylde picks up 13 points and Terminal City took the lead, 18-10. After a slew of penalties left only one Terminal City blocker on the track, Little A was able to hand the lead back to Tampa, 31-18. Terminal City jammer Maiden Sane worked to rack up the points while blocker Flower Plow’er shoved Tampa’s jammer PhDiesel off the track. Plow’er bridged back to stall Tampa’s advance, andTerminal City sea-sawed back in the lead, 42-31.

Less then 15 minutes into the first half, the two teams were tied 47-47.

Terminal City's Evada Peron took lead jammer and just enough points to advance Terminal City back to their position on top, 51-47.

Tampa jammer Laryn Kill pushed hard against the Terminal City blockers— they cave to her strength, but Kill was held up in the aftermath—blocker bodies trouble the track. Terminal City jammer Maiden Sane slid though amidst the chaos, and Kill was sent to the box for cutting the track. Terminal City blocker and captain Griffith jumped the the apex to help her jammer from the front of the pack.

Tampa jammer PhDiesel hit the penalty box soon after, leaving Evada Peron to sweep in a strong lead for Terminal City. The jam was interrupted by a fall—Terminal City blocker Suggitt took a hard fall to the floor and the game is stopped with 9:38 on the period clock. Suggit walked off the track.

Another Tampa jammer hit the penalty box, and Terminal City's Evada Peron put some distance between the teams' scores. Tampa blockers lined up as a four-wall, but Peron broke their line like a ribbon in a race.

In the second to last jam of the first half, Terminal City jammer Maiden Sane gave Tampa jammer Smooth Operator a hard hit out of bounds after the initial passes. Sane knocked Operator out of bounds, and skated backwards—Operator is forced to follow. The two jammers duel half a track away from the pack. Neither score a point before Sane calls off the jam.

In the last jam of the first half, Tampa jammer Little A took lead. Tampa blockers Lunch Lady, Blondie Blitz, Alli-Kat Scratch, and Lily The Kid held Terminal City jammer NazDroveya Wylde back three quarters of the rotation before she attempted to pass the star. The half ended with Terminal City in the lead, 120-82.

Early in the second half, Maiden Sane again played with her opposing jammer— this time Apolo Ana. Sane plow stopped in front of Ana slowing down her momentum before calling off the jam. But Tampa jammers came back to demonstrate that they are not be be toyed with. Apolo Ana, Laryn Kill, and Little A came in with a strong jams, pulling Tampa up to 94 points.

Ten minutes into the second half, Tampa jammer Little A took lead while Terminal City jammer Evada Peron sits in the box. This advantage sent the fans into chant singing: “Let’s Go Tampa.”

Only two Terminal City blockers were on the track. This is not enough to hold back Tampa jammer Laryn Hill; she powers through them picking up four more Tampa points.

Coming out of the penalty box, Terminal City jammer Evada Peron tried to hit Tampa lead jammer Laryn Kill— the two collided, and Peron is sent back to the box. Kill pulled up the score and Tampa took the lead, 136-135, and built from there.

“We went into [the game] really bringing all of the momentum that we had—working with our walls and our jammers, being really consistent, staying in the middle and driving the whole time,” said Tampa jammer Little A. “Really we just played our game, and that’s what brought us up on top.”

With less than 5 minutes left, Terminal City Maiden Sane broke through to the lead position, while Apolo Ana was held up behind Terminal City blockers Harvey, MacKenzie, and Eve Hallows. It’s Hallows who goes to the penalty box, and now Sundown and Harvey work together to keep Ana at bay. Sane pushes, jukes, pushes, and jukes again past her opponents the Tampa blockers. Terminal City trailed by 10-points

With under two minutes on the clock, Terminal City jammer Maiden Sane went to the box leaving Little A and only two Terminal City blockers on the track. Little A swept the last points of the game, ending in Tampa’s favor, 182-156.

“We had more penalties today then we’ve had all weekend combined,” said Terminal City All-Stars coach Mack the Mouth “That really put us in a tough situation.”

The Terminal City All-Stars had a total of 57 penalties, 10 of those trips for jammers. Tampa had 30 trips to the box, with five jammer penalties.

The Tampa Tantrums take 5th Place in the international 2014 WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Sacramento; Terminal City All-Stars placed 6th.

FINAL SCORE

(7) Tampa Tantrums 182

(5) Terminal City All-Stars 156