It had been a long time coming. The D.C. Rollergirls All-Stars, who had slipped to #11 in the East in the latest rankings, snapped a frustratingly long home losing streak with a decisive 106-64 victory over Providence Roller Derby’s Rhode Island Riveters (#10), improving D.C.’s hopes of making this year’s WFTDA East Region Playoffs.
Prior to the main event, the crowd was treated to a thrilling expo bout between May Flowers (the Cherry Blossom Bombshells) and April Showers (a combination of Scare Force One and Meat Locker Babes). The May Flowers came from behind in the final jam to sneak a 68-67 win.
For a full recap of the All-Stars bout, we hand you over, once again, to special correspondent Lady Burn Johnson:
D.C. 106 – 64 Providence
The bout started out immediately in D.C.’s favor when Providence jammer Craisy Dukes was sent to the box in the first jam, giving D.C. jammer Free Radical license to post two grand slams. It was hardly a harbinger of things to come, though, as the majority of the first half saw heavy defense and a relatively empty penalty box from both teams. Hard-hitting Providence blockers Hot Sauce, Bleeding Rainbow, Shelby Bruisin’ and Rhode Kill proved to be formidable obstacles for D.C.’s jammers, but their efforts were equally matched by a fierce D.C. blocking lineup that included Soledad, Hoova Dayum, Battery Operated and Obitchuary.
The score stayed nearly static for the first ten minutes of the bout, but Providence finally managed to put some points on the scoreboard with a series of hit-and-quit jams, bringing the total to 19-16 midway through the half. At the seven-minute mark, D.C. found a chance to pull away on a rare powerjam that allowed Sookie Slaughterhouse to post eight unanswered points. Another 8-0 to Dr. SKabs a few minutes later (this time thanks to a strong D.C. back wall that proved inescapable for Providence’s Baby Fighterfly) put D.C. up 46-19 with just over two minutes to play in the half. The period closed out with two crowd-pleasing jams: first, D.C.’s Yankee Scandal took full advantage of another powerjam, zooming around to rack up 21 unanswered points; in the next jam, Providence’s Ruca A. Salt executed a well-timed hit on opposing jammer Sookie Slaughterhouse, forcing her back into the pack long enough for Salt to rack up a grand slam, bringing her team a hair’s breadth closer to the lead at 67-24.
The second half started with Providence at a slight disadvantage, having lost go-to jammer Craisy Dukes to a dislocated shoulder toward the end of the first half. But pretty soon, D.C.’s blockers became reacquainted with their old friend the penalty box, and Ruca A. Salt took advantage of Providence’s three-on-two pack advantage to add nine unanswered points to her team’s total. That gain, however, was immediately followed by another explosive 15-point powerjam for D.C.’s Yankee Scandal, ratcheting up D.C.’s lead to 84-33. Scandal kept the momentum going a couple of jams later, capitalizing on a major back block call on Baby Fighterfly to clock a 12-3 in D.C.’s favor.
Just ten minutes into the half, that would be D.C.’s last major point gain of the bout. But even going up against characteristically light D.C. packs, Providence never managed to mount a huge comeback. Instead, the heavy defense continued on both sides, resulting in a rash of 0-0 jams punctuated by a few hit-and-quits for either team. As the bout clock wound down to the single digits, Providence finally managed to gain some footing, holding D.C. virtually scoreless and adding 21 points to their total in the last ten minutes of the bout (largely thanks to Ruca A. Salt’s 9-0 against D.C.’s Marion Barrycuda). But it was ultimately too late to close the gap entirely, and Providence finished the bout with a 42-point deficit.
Providence and D.C. will get a rematch in less than two months as the two teams face off at the East Coast Extravaganza in Philadelphia at the end of June. In the meantime, the D.C. All-Stars are at home again on June 4 hoping to finally best Carolina, a team they lost to in February by just five points.
But before the All-Stars regroup, the home teams have some serious business to attend to — the Season 5 Championship bout! Scare Force One and the DC DemonCats face off Saturday, May 14 at 4 p.m. (doors at 3 p.m.) at the Armory to close out the regular season. You won’t want to miss that one, so get your tickets by emailing tickets [at] dcrollergirls [dot] com.
