Bout Recap - March 21st, 2009
Double Crossers vs. The Fury
March's first bout saw a tighter Fury squad show renewed fight against the formidable Double Crossers. A shorter Fury blocking rotation, featuring Tori Adore, Dee Monica, Juanna Rumbel, rookie Sargentina, and Ivy Sedation, who really showed herself to be a powerhouse in the making, made things tougher than expected for the black-clad assassins. Yvette Yourmaker returned from her month on the d.l. to trade jams with Eva Dead, and with assistance from growing threats Sonya Mouthshut and Go-Go Hatchet, The Fury sprinted to an early lead.
The Double Crossers, for their part, shook things up a bit in their jamming lineup, with all-star blocker Blossom Bruiso making more appearances in the rotation. Their blocking form was impressive as ever, and five minutes in the Fury lead was overtaken and the Crossers ahead 18-9. The spread was maintained until jammer Riley Coyote was banished to the box for cutting, missed her seat the first time, and had to circle the track again as precious seconds ticked by and Yvette Yourmaker scored 4. XX blocker Donna Party managed to keep Yvette in line with some textbook hip blocking for the remainder of the jam, however, and the impressive penalty kill kept The Fury from overtaking the lead. Both teams managed to eke out a few points over the next several jams, with the Fury staying within 10 of their rivals in black. A jammerless jam at the 2:30 mark put Hoosier Mama on the line for the Double Crossers for the first time in blue moon, against Sonya Mouthshut, and Hoosier demonstrated the versatility that got her the Rookie of the Year award in '06, blocking Sonya into submission on their initial approach to the pack, then busting through to grand slam before calling it in the middle of her second pass, and putting the Crossers up 45-28 at the half.
The Double Crossers must have liked Hoosier's luck, because the second half commenced with her once again wearing the star and scoring a quick four on Eva Dead, who was back again in the very next jam, making up the difference against XXer Julia Rosenwinkel and bringing The Fury's score up to 32. And there it remained for a few jams as Peg Legs and Riley Coyote became the beneficiaries of Sonya Mouthshut's cutting major. A 13-point jam for Blossom Bruiso widened the margin 74-32. The next several jams maintained the 40-plus-point margin, as jammers from both teams struggled to put points on the board. Huge hits from The Fury's Tori Adore and Sonya Mouthshut sent XXers flying, while the positional work of Nina Millameter and Hoosier Mama kept Fury jammers in the pack. With 4 minutes to go, though, The Fury seemed to strap on the jet packs, keeping the XXers at 98 and doing some really fine holding work. When Rosenwinkel and Yvette Yourmaker took the line for the last jam, the score was 98-66; hardly deterred, Yvette Yourmaker poured on the speed as Rosenwinkel was knocked outside by Sargentina and unfortunately waylayed by a tactical error as teammate Sassy Squash attempted to hold the Fury blocker, further delaying re-entry for her jammer. The end result was a cutting major for Rosenwinkel as Yvette racked up three grand slams and ended the game with a very respectable final score of 98-81.
Though The Fury's renewed focus seemed to gradually erode in 60 minutes of tough gameplay, it never felt like a runaway (case in point: both teams scored exactly 53 points in the second half), and from the looks of things the tide of losses may be turning for Las Furiosas.
Final score: Double Crossers 98, The Fury 81
Hells Belles vs. Manic Attackers
The money match tonight was between the Ivy King Cup Champs the Hell's Belles and this season's surprise success story, the Manic Attackers. With Belles' captain Varla Vendetta still out with an injury, the outcome was anyone's guess. The return of Belles blocking behemoths Harmadillo and May R. Daley from the injury bench upped the wildcard action. In the end it may have been a matter of experience over enthusiasm, as the Belles put another notch in their belts and the Manics took something back to the drawing board.
The surprises came early, as the first jam saw Manics rookie Amy Nonamey rushing in where angels fear to tread and managing to keep Megan Formor off her jammer, at least for awhile. But against the Belles' fast pack no lead jammer is safe, and Beth Amphetamine was re-absorbed more than once before she was forced to call it a jam to prevent rival Shocka Conduit from scoring. A double-grand-slam jam from Manic Wreck N' Shrew was immediately followed by a 12-pointer from brutal Belle Megan Formor. The Manics held the Belles there for a couple of jams while extending their lead 20-12 before some stellar blocking from Goldie Shocks! assisted her jammer Shocka Conduit's 9-point jam. The score was 21-20 Belles, and that 1-point difference held until the 15 minute mark. After that point, the lead was traded back and forth, both teams gaining and losing slight advantages, mostly dependent on which one effected the best blocking strategy in the pack. But the stalemate was shattered with 7 minutes remaining in the half, as Beth Amphetamine went to the box for pushing and Shocka amassed three grand slams to take the Belles up 40-28. Another power jam for Athena deCrime shortly thereafter ended the period with her team leading 46-31.
The Belles' lead didn't hold long in the second half. The second jam began with the Belles' jammer Shocka Conduit in the box and Wreck N' Shrew on the line alone, but the power jam opp seemed squandered when Wreck was boxed for cutting just as Shocka was released. Shocka was immediately re-boxed, however, and a jammerless jam resulted.
BFFs/arch rivals Megan Formor and Malice w/ Chains donned the stars for the follow-up, but Megan's forceful ways sent her to join Shocka almost immediately, leaving Malice hot-dogging her way to three grand slams and a 52-46 lead for the Manics. That was the last the Manics saw of their advantage, though: Two jams later the tables were turned when a power jam for Athena deCrime put the Belles in front 60-55, and the run was on. As the Belles edged up the scoreboard, the Manics stayed a few points within reach. With 8 minutes to go, Malice seemed to attempt to put the fear of God into rival jammer Athena deCrime, emitting a Viking war cry on the jammer line. The intimidation tactic was hammered home by Ying O'Fire, who sent Athena flying into the stat table as Malice put four on the board and brought the Manics within three. Another jammer penalty for the Manics in the very next jam deflated their fans' hopes, as Wreck N' Shrew was sent off for a major and Shocka Conduit, currently the Belles most dangerous scorer, put the Belles up 92-78 and the game just out of the Manics' grasp. A quick rematch between Malice and Athena (and another assault by Ying) put a few more points on the board for the Manic-Tarded fan faves, but as Beth Amphetamine was boxed for cutting in the second-to-last jam, Shocka racked up 10 more. Another 5 added by Athena in the final jam were just nails in the proverbial coffin. The Manics' comeback story will not hold an undefeated season, and with the return of Varla Vendetta imminent, one wonders if the Belles will be losing again anytime soon...
Final score: Hell's Belles 107, Manic Attackers 78
Recaps by: Kentucky Dervish