Jacksonville, FL

By Anita Riot

In the third game of the 2015 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Jacksonville, closely ranked rivals Atlanta (#13) and Tampa (#18) rolled in looking ready to advance in the bracket. Seeded at 4 and 5, respectively, these southeastern teams have a long history of back-and-forth rankings battles--most significant of which was Tampa’s victory in their most recent competition with Atlanta in May.

Photo by Joe Mac

“We came into this game really hungry since Tampa won last time we played each other,” stated Atlanta captain Baller Shot Caller. “We had to go back to the basics with defense and focus on teamwork over individual abilities.”

The first jam began in Tampa’s favor, with Smooth Operator gaining lead jammer and her blockers holding Atlanta jammer Trouble MakeHer in a four-woman grinder for nearly a full minute before she passed the star to her pivot, Baller Shot Caller. Unfortunately Tampa’s jammer picked up a track cut penalty, allowing Baller three grand slams for a 15-4 score.

Atlanta continued their charge with two 4-0 jams in a row until Tampa jammer Taz Maniac was able to nab a 2-0 jam. But Baller Shot Caller answered back with a 19-point jam thanks to exceptional blocking by her teammate Nattie Long Legs and penalties on Tampa blockers allowing Dirty South the pack advantage. Throughout the first half, the team in red grew a slightly more comfortable lead, despite two Atlanta jammer penalties in a row from Slams McKenzie and Afro Dykee in jams 7 and 8.

Photo by Ken LeBleu

The proverbial ball fell in the Tantrums’ court with four minutes left in the first half, after Laryn Kill gained lead jammer status and a 9-0 score over Slams McKenzie; followed by a 0-0 faceoff between Baller and Taz Maniac. Tampa captain Little A eked out lead status at the 2-minute mark and grabbed her own 4-0. Tampa’s relief jammer PhDiesel ended the half with a 10-0 jam, putting the score at 108-61 going into the break.

Tampa kept the speed going into the first half, as their braced wall locked in on the Atlanta jammers. The team in black capitalized on penalty minutes plaguing Atlanta, which allowed space for Tampa’s defense to stymie efforts from Dirty South jammers Afro Dykee and Jean-Juke Picard. Halfway through the second half, the score had reached 139-120, with Atlanta barely grasping the lead. After a 4-jam point drought, Atlanta took a timeout to regroup.

“Our coach took the timeout so we could center ourselves.” Baller said after the game.

A 30-second reset seemed to be all they needed, as Trouble MakeHer put 20 points on the board while the Tampa jammer sat out a track cut. As blocker penalties slowed, the pack speed followed suit, becoming a grinding cyclone of bodies. Hard hits and halting partner defense came in the form of Slayor Moon and Painguin for Tampa. Another valiant attempt from the Tantrums’ whirlwind defense resulted in holding Atlanta scoreless for four more jams. Jam 35 lasted a full two minutes without either jammer completing her initial pass or reaching the fourth turn on the track. The game turned to clock management as Tampa bargained for a few more points, but Atlanta (especially Wild Cherri and Queen Loseyateefa) held them at bay for a final score of 177-125.

The Dirty South Derby Girls will move on to the semifinals to play the winner between London and Steel City at 2pm Saturday. The Tampa Tantrums take the track at noon Saturday against Glasgow in the consolation bracket.

Final Score

Atlanta Rollegirls (#4) 172
Tampa Roller Derby (#5) 125