Salt Lake City, UT

by Danger (ismymiddlename)

From the very first jam, Oklahoma Victory Dolls, from Oklahoma City, made this their game, as they set the pace quite literally - with speeding and strung-out packs, and ricocheting hits. Repeated slow-motion tumbles could be seen from jammers, as strung-out packs result in tiny blocking clusters and big individual hits. Which is why the final score, a last second squeak-by win for Lincoln, Nebraska’s No Coast Derby Girls, 160-156, was such a startling upheaval, and well worth the full 60 minutes of watching.

Photo by Donna Olmstead

The game started as it would to continue, with speeding packs, Oklahoma setting the pack pace and No Coast blockers and jammer chased the speeding pack. In fact, as announcers commented, the speed and style of play, while heavily skewed towards Oklahoma’s playing style, was very reminiscent of the core genre of derby played in the late “naughties” (2000s).

No Coast was briefly in the lead after the first jam, 4-2, and then Slam Anderson took them further to 8-3, but it wasn’t to last. By the 6th jam, Oklahoma took hold of the lead, 11-8, and then did some breathless point switching for one jam and then at jam 9, they took lead 16-12, and held on.

Into the final minutes of the first quarter, Oklahoma added 10 points to make 26-12, and solidify their lead. After No Coast was held scoreless for four long jams, Oklahoma pushed inexorably upwards to 57-22, with 9 minutes remaining in the half. Despite a series of lead jammer grabs, and solid point additions on No Coast’s part, the game reached the halftime with Oklahoma still firmly in the lead, 76-51.

The second half seemed to switch relentlessly into No Coast’s court, as they held the third quarter, even as the game play and speed seemed to continue unabated as in the first half.

When Ka-Kaw!, for Oklahoma, was sent off on a track cut, followed by an insubordination for not leaving the track fast enough, that one minute of penalty time handed No Coast the perfect opportunity to add points. The next jam was a power start for No Coast, and Slam Anderson took full advantage with a 20-0 jam, pushing No Coast just barely into a single-point lead, 92-91, at the 8th minute back in.

As No Coast ran with their small lead, they went from strength to strength, adding on further points, and responding to every opportunity Oklahoma left them, despite Oklahoma’s speed and determination.

With just five minutes remaining in the game, Oklahoma started to push into the lead with a narrow lead jammer status call, and point additions to take them into yet another single-point lead, now 134-133. But then No Coast took it back immediately, pushing to 139-134, by jam 19.

Not long afterwards, No Coast’s Anna Casube was boxed on a track cut, handing Oklahoma a power jam, and the push into lead. Czech took lead jammer status, while a returned Anna Casube had trouble getting through the initial pass. Czech then chose to allow Casube a scoring pass, before she made an extra one and called the jam. No Coast responded with a rapid team timeout call with only 1:14 remaining in the game, and an Oklahoma lead 154-143.

The breathless final jam saw Oklahoma’s Dolly Dynamite boxed on a penalty, right when she was trying to run out the clock, instead handing No Coast a power jam. Christy Johnson took full advantage of the opportunity to score and then, when Dolly was released and hit the back of the pack hot, gaining a back block penalty, the addition continued. The final score was a last second squeak-by win for No Coast, 160-156, upheld despite an official review on the back block penalty on Dolly.

No Coast advances to play 2 seed B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls at 6 pm MDT Friday, while Oklahoma moves into the consolation bracket with a game at noon MDT Saturday.

Final Score

(8) Oklahoma Victory Dolls 156
(9) No Coast Derby Girls 160