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Saturday, June 27, SaltPalace:The Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls from (where else?) Las
Vegas returned to Utah
to exact revenge on the Salt City Derby Girls’ all-star Shakers team for a
20-point defeat in the 2008 roller-derby season. This time, SinCity
was focused and out for blood, working the Shakers for everything they had for
two edge-of-the-seat periods of fast and hard-hitting action.
SinCity scored first, but Shaker England’s Glory soon
put SaltLake in the lead with one of what would
become dozens of her point-grabbing jams. On the defensive front, SinCity
knocked the Shakers around with some of the most effective and brutal
strategies the ladies have ever faced, and Vegas’ jammers narrowed the point
spread at every opportunity.
In such an intense and emotional game, it was only a matter
time before a skater was ejected by a referee, and that skater was SinCity
captain Skid, wading into a no-win confrontation with SCDG head ref Collin
DeShotz and being sent off the track for the remainder of the first half. Back
on the track, Shaker NOS was racking up points, nearly matched by SinCity
jammer Shirley Demise.
At the half, SaltLake led Las
Vegas 51-35.
Vegas rallied hard in early in the second half, with jammer
Pearly Gates turning in a 13-point run that would eventually snowball and put SinCity
in the lead. But only briefly: Once again, England’s Glory took the game back,
which would soon be tied at 69-69 (yes, really). Salt Lake’s NOS broke the tie,
only to have that lead taken back by Vegas’ Shirley Demise; the score see-sawed
back-and-forth at a dizzying rate for several jams until the Shakers finally
secured a 10-point comfort zone (or as comfortable as they could get against
Sin City’s unrelenting defensive attack).
After Vegas’ Bruce Killis and SaltLake’s
Beracooter were both ejected for penalties and misconduct in the bout’s final
minutes, the Salt City Shakers made it a deuce with their second victory in two
years over the Sin City Rollergirls, 102-81.
Next Salt City Derby Girls bout: Saturday, Aug. 15, with reigning
SCDG champions Leave It to Cleavers taking on the Death Dealers at the SaltPalace
in downtown SLC. Info and tickets: SLCDerby.com.