Big scoring runs to start each half helped the Dallas Derby Devils' Army of Darkness all-star team cruise to a 168 to 117 victory over Assassination City Roller Derby’s Conspiracy A all-star squad. The two oldest teams in the DFW Metroplex met on January 26, 2013, their first meeting in nearly two years, and only their fourth since 2009.
The Army of Darkness skated out to a quick 58-1 in the bout’s opening minutes, and while Conspiracy managed to close to within 19 points by the end of the first half, AoD broke it up when 33 unanswered points when the two teams came out after the intermission.
All of AoD’s top jammers got into the scoring action, with Jackie Lation and Brandi Danger combining for 44 of the 58 opening points, while Anita Riot and Weapon X scored 30 of the 33 points to start the second half.
Despite the big runs, ACRD’s Conspiracy wouldn’t lie down and die. WreckLiz N Dangerous tried to keep her team in the game, accounting for 63 points to make her the bout’s top scorer. IO Cent was Conspiracy’s second leading scorer, tallying 23 points.
Penalties were also significant in this bout. ACRD totaled 30 penalties, 17 of them in the second half. Conversely, DDD had just 20 penalties.
Throughout this season – for both home season and travel team bouts – penalties may be a determining factor in many games. The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) made some big changes to their rules prior to this season, and teams that aren’t aware or don’t take heed of those changes may find themselves on the wrong side of the score more often than not.
Two skaters who played in five or more jams played a penalty-free bout. AoD’s Rosemary Raucous skated in 9 jams without a penalty, and her teammate Juice Box skating in a whopping 10 jams without spending any time in the penalty box.
In B team action, DDD’s Battalion of Doom bested ACRD’s Conspiracy B 187-120. BoD scored the first points of the bout, but it was back-and-forth for much of the first few minutes, and a 20-point jam from Murder N'Monroll gave Conspiracy a 33-20 lead.
It stayed close through the early goings of the first half, but an 11-point jam by Animal Lee gave BoD a 57-51 lead, and it was one they would never relinquish.
It was still only a 21-point lead for BoD at the half, but 18 second-half penalties committed by Conspiracy (compared to just 7 by BoD) and a monster 30-point jam from DDD’s Rhinestone Callgirl were just too much for the ACRD squad to overcome.
Rachel Deathray was ACRD’s top scorer with 46 points, and Scary Underwood was next on the list with 22. Murder N'Monroll scored all 20 points on her first jam, but a gross misconduct penalty early in the second half put an early end to her night.
Rhinestone Callgirl led all scorers with 80 points. Go-Go Ballistic followed her with 30, and Bo Toxin was right behind her with 29. Animal Lee was also significant in the scoring, tallying 26 points.
Much like the A team bout, penalties were critical in this bout. They cost Conspiracy a player, and the amount of penalties called in the second half allowed BoD to pull away from a close bout and build an insurmountable lead.
Two BoD skaters were significant in their track awareness. Kimical Addiction and Bad Mo Flo were the only two DDD members to participate in more than 20 jams. Kimical was assessed just 3 penalties in her 20 jams, and Bad Mo Flo was called for just one penalty in 22 jams. Additionally, Kimical was named blocker MVP, and seemed to hold back the ACRD jammer anytime she was on the floor.
Both bouts were exciting and action-packed, and while DDD came out on top both times out, ACRD may not have to wait two years this time to get revenge.
Come March 22, 2013, Army of Darkness and Conspiracy are scheduled to take part in DDD’s Clover Cup, a three-day tournament featuring 8 teams from 5 states out of the South Central Region. This tournament might be a critical indicator of where all these All-Star Travel Teams stand as they jostle for a possible berth in the WFTDA’s National Tournaments in the fall.
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