Trackside Recap: Jerzey Derby Brigade vs. Hartford Wailers

On June 16 The Jerzey Derby Brigade (JDB) at its home track in Morristown hosted the Harford Wailers for what proved to be a bruising bout.

#1200 Liberty Violence the Wailers put the first points on the board for the Wailers. They were far from her last. With a depth of jammers (notably #24 Sabatage Saval, #1200 Liberty Violence, #1965 Pretty Bizaarbie, and #528 Ginger-vitus) and well-practiced blocking, the Wailers took an early lead. For JDB, #8 Lil Mo Peep and #3684 Californikate showed their usual jamming skills, but encountered stiff blocking. Both teams’ blockers were tactically competent and showed individual aggression when separated from teammates, such as a solid block of #64 Madeleine Alfight by Wailer #608 Rebel Scum and a knockdown #528 Ginger-vitus by JDB skater #221 Det. Sure-Block Holmes. The Hartford defense had the better of it overall, however, which allowed the Wailers to build its lead throughout the first half. JDB remained competitive with hit-it-quit-it point gains and occasional multipass jams, such as a 19 point jam by #128 Val Royale and another 19-pointer by #3684 Californikate. #1965 Pretty Bizaarbie put the Wailers over the 100 mark and #8 Lil Mo Peep did the same for JDB several minutes later. The first half ended with a score of 111-162 in favor of the Wailers.

The Wailers lead at the start of the second half was formidable but not insurmountable. Blocking on both sides became more aggressive – as it frequently does in second halves – with more than usual number of takedowns and pileups. Despite JDB’s best efforts, which included repeated hit-it-quit-it jams by Lil Mo Peep and a 21 point jam by Californikate, the Wailers expanded their lead. #24 Sabatage Saval showed a special talent for slipping through defensive walls. #45 Black Mamba took the Wailers over 300 and Californikate put JDB over 200. The final jam started with 25 seconds on the clock. #24 Sabatage Saval picked up lead jammer status and could have ended the match after the 25 seconds, but she chose to let the jam play out as both she and #8 Lil Mo Peep battled the pack. The whistle blew with a Final Score of 205 – 365 in favor of the Hartford Wailers.

MVPs:

JDB

Blocker – #221 Det. Sure-Block Holmes

Jammer – #8 Lil Mo Peep

Wailers

Blocker  – #1965 Pretty Bizaarbie

Jammer – #24 Sabatage Saval