Madison, WI

By Vile Love It

The Windy City Rollers of Chicago, IL, USA (seed #8) and the Mad Rollin’ Dolls of Madison, WI, USA (seed #10) each entered the battle for seventh place with one win and two losses behind them in the 2016 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Madison. The tournament host would advance in the bracket regardless of the outcome of the game, but they utilized their home advantage—fueled by a supportive audience of local fans—to solidly pulled ahead and take seventh place with a 190-139 win.

Photo by Jim Dier

The game started with a run of lead jams for Windy City and three power jams in a row in their favor, putting them at a 34-point advantage. But Madison seized the opportunity for a comeback when Windy City followed the triple power jams with three jammer box trips of their own. The Mad Rollin’ Dolls pushed into the lead with a 19-point jam from Ladie Who-ha and a 21-point jam from Mouse, bringing the score to 72-57 at the end of jam 14. Windy would come within nine points of Madison, but they were never able to fully close the gap and the Mad Rollin’ Dolls held tightly onto their lead for the remainder of the game—earning 60 percent lead jammer status and a 32-point advantage going into halftime.

In the second half, Windy City’s jammer penalties continued, making it difficult for them to recover. Their jammers went to the box seven times to Madison’s three, and Mia Go Hamm, Windy City’s second top scorer with a total of 44 points, came dangerously close to fouling out with six penalties to her name. Windy worked hard to try climb back, but it seemed that when their jammers found a rhythm it would be cut short by a trip to the penalty box. Windy City earned lead more often than Madison in the second half, at 55 percent, but their jammers would get caught in the pack on scoring passes and they struggled to put up enough points to make a dent in Madison’s lead, often calling the jam with only one or two points.

Photo by Jim Dier

Although the Mad Rollin’ Dolls held the advantage throughout the entire second half, they hadn’t pulled away with a substantial margin until about ten minutes into the period. Mouse and Black Velvet were able to put up 38 points on back-to-back power jams as Madison’s blockers neutralized Windy City’s defense, giving them a 56-point cushion. The Mad Rollin’ Dolls maintained this pressure throughout the rest of the game, and they celebrated the game clock running down with a 190-139 victory. They advance three places in the tournament, finishing in 7th place while the Windy City Rollers maintain their spot in 8th.

Final Score

Windy City Rollers (#8) 139
Mad Rollin’ Dolls (#10) 190