WFTDA 2011 South Central Region Playoffs Day 2 Wrap Up

by Shelly Shankya

In the first bout of Day 2 of South Central Region Playoffs, #5 Houston Roller Derby took on and defeated #10 Omaha Rollergirls. Omaha was able to keep the game close for the bulk of the first half, but Houston spread the gap in the last ten minutes of the game, making it an impossible hurdle for the ladies from Omaha to stradle. Houston came out on top, 170-103.

The next bout featured #6 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins and #8 Green Country Roller Girls. The bout was a barn burner, with multiple lead changes, though Green Country ended the first half on top, and the second period was largely a repeat of the first. Green Country jammer Temptress Storm came back from the half with a powerful 20 -point power jam to establish the team's dominance. Tampa jammer Little A echoed the double digit power jam moments later, but it wasn't enough to bridge the gap. Green Country blocker Syko Path fouled out with less than a minute left, the sore at 130-113. Tampa called a timeout with 12 seconds left on the clock to extend the bout, but when Temptress Storm got lead jammer against Little A, the game ended as an upset, 130-117.

"Today we came out as a team," Temptress Storm said. "Our number one word was 'unity,' and we came out with strong walls. No one can beat our walls. The loss yesterday [to #9 Gold Coast] really changed our mentality. We don't like to lose. Today we just played our game, and that made all the difference."

The #2 seeded Texas Rollergirls tackled #3 Nashville Rollergirls in a bout that would decide which South Central team would be the first to clinch a spot at 2011 Championships, and play for the #1 spot in the region on Day 3. While Nashville was able to start off strong in the first few jams, they weren't able to maintain the lead or to control the pack. Texas's strong blockers kept Nashville from gaining lead jammer status in all but a handful of jams in the first half. Power jams for Texas kept widening the gap, and the score read 93-24 for Texas at halftime. Nashville gained some momentum in the second half when jammers Maulin Monroe and Rambo Sambo got lead for two jams in a row. However, that was answered by a 30-point power jam by Texas jammer Vicious Van GoGo. The final score had Texas on top, 218-75.

"We thought about things that we wanted to work on and what we needed to get fixed before the next game," Texas jammer Vicious Van GoGo said. "We're trying different things, and we're continuing to improve on our strengths, but also working on our weaknesses."

Next, #4 Atlanta Rollergirls challenged #1 Kansas City Roller Warriors, but to no avail. Kansas City was able to keep Atlanta scoreless for the first fifteen minutes of the first half, and Atlanta was never able to catch Kasnas City's fast pack. The audience at Municipal Auditorium erupted with wolf calls for the last jam of the game, and the final score for the game stood at 220-96.

"We've been working on fine-tuning our communication and fluidness," Kansas City's jammer Jade Lightning said. "And now that we've got the big picture, we can work on the little details. We really want to maintain mental focus and continue playing as a team."

Houston Roller Derby had their second bout of the day against #9 Gold Coast Derby Grrls. For the first half of the game, the jammers managed to get released from the pack at nearly the same time. And for the first several minutes, the score was either tied or within single digits for both teams. Gold Coast had jammer penalty trouble, however, and the half ended at 43-88 for Houston. The second half was a seesaw of points, and Gold Coast managed to win a few points back from Houston, but the bout ended with Houston on top, 138-106.

After their upset of #6 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins earlier in the day, #8 Green Country came back to play #7 No Coast Derby Girls in the final bout of the day. While it started as a close game, No Coast was able to slowly pry the lead further and further out of Green Country's grasp. The score at halftime was a testament to No Coast's blocking prowess, as they managed to keep Green Country's jammers at bay, 93-23. Green Country tried changing their jammer rotation through the second half, jamming their standard blockers, like Elektra Violet and Hot Rod Havoc, but it wasn't enough to close the gap. The final score was 163-41.

South Central Region Playoffs Day 2 Results

• Houston Roller Derby (#5) 170
  Omaha Rollergirls (#10) 103
  Houston advanced to play Gold Coast Derby Grrls later in the day; Omaha will play Tampa Bay on Day 3.

• Green Country Roller Girls (#8) 130
  Tampa Bay Derby Darlins (#6) 117
  Green Country advanced to play No Coast Derby Girls later in the day; Tampa moves on to play Omaha for ninth and tenth place in Bout 13.

• Texas Rollergirls (#2) 218
  Nashville Rollergirls (#3) 75
  Texas advances to play in the Championship bout on Day 3; Nashville moves on to play for 3rd.

• Kansas City Roller Warriors (#1) 220
  Atlanta Rollergirls (#4) 96
  Kansas City will play Texas in the Championship bout; Atlanta will play Nashville for 3rd.

• Houston Roller Derby (#5) 138
  Gold Coast Derby Grrls (#9) 106
  Houston advances to play for 5th place against No Coast Derby Girls; Gold Coast moves on to play Green Country for 7th.

• No Coast Derby Girls (#7) 163
  Green Country Roller Girls (#8) 41
  No Coast plays Houston on Day 3; Green Country will play Gold Coast.

View score updates and event information at showmederbq.com.

Full recaps and analysis are available at http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com.

Come back to wftda.com for Day 3 action!