Season Closer

The closing bout of the season for the NJRD took place last night in its home rink in Morristown, NJ. The NJRD’s B Team the Risky B’s, consisting of newcomers (and relative newcomers) stiffened by a few veteran skaters, took on the Hudson Valley Horror Roller Derby ZomB Squad.

ZomB took an early lead. S. Scar Go and Ultra Sonic Boom proved effective time and again against the B’s defenses. Pina Killada’s persistence, pressing on after hard blocks and knock-downs, also added points for ZomB at key moments. Despite scoring by Risky B’s jammers, ZomB Squad held its lead for most of the first half. The turning point came when B’s Chase Windu scored 29 points in a single power jam, pushing the B’s ahead 72-50. ZomB chipped away at the spread; Ultra Sonic Boom added points in power jam as the halftime clock ran out. Score at halftime was 89-78 in favor of Risky B’s.

During halftime, the NJRD’s junior derby, the Small Stars, skated a 10-minute demonstration bout, dividing themselves into white and blue teams. (See their facebook page.) The white team prevailed 34-24, though all skated well. I expect to see a few of them in the adult teams in the not-too-distant future.

In the second half of the primary bout, both the Risky B’s and the ZomB Squad toughened their blocking. The B’s tactical coordination has gotten better lately. Carcinojen on the ZomB side was particularly effective, though she took a serious tumble near the end of the bout. The B’s put a various jammers to the fore, including Nutin’ But Trouble who scored points on her one jam, but Luscious Malfoy and Chase Windu did heavy lifting as jammers. The B’s efforts paid off, and they expanded their lead as the clocked ticked down on the entertaining match. The Risky B’s prevailed with a final score 195-131.

MVPs

Risky B’s:

jammer – Luscious Malfoy

blocker – Alcaspaz

ZomB Squad:

jammer – Ulta Sonic Boom

blocker – Carcinojen