JANUARY 7th BOUT RE-CAP: PUTAS DEL FUEGO vs. HELLCATS
The Lonestar Rollergirls third bout of the season took place at the Crockett Center on January 7th, with the Putas del Fuego skating away with a narrow 38-33 win over the Hellcats. The crowd was split pretty much 50/50 in support of each team, which kept the nearly 1,000 fans on the edge of their seats during the close bout. Chola led the defending Calvello Cup champion PDF with 19 points as she duked it out with Dixie Sanchez for the top jammer of the bout. Sanchez ended up with 16 points for the Hellcats in the first half, and 6 points in the second half. The Hellcats spread their star around a bit, with six different skaters taking a shot at the jammer position - Dirty Blonde came in next with 10 points. Knottie Knoxville, Purr Anna, Fanny Smack, and Lucia Furr also donned the star for the Hellcats.
In the first quarter the teams were neck and neck with the PDF holding a 12-10 lead at the first break. The PDF extended their lead to 18-14 midway through the second quarter but the Hellcats clawed back and took a 20-19 lead at halftime. The Putas would havfe had the lead but a solid takedown by the Hellcats during a two lap free-for-all let the HC’s remain in the lead.
The Hellcats’ lead wouldn’t last though! In the second half the Putas stepped it up and showed why they won it all a year ago as they held the Hellcats to 13 points for the entire second half. Chola, Venis Envy, and Death Vallery found holes in the HC pack for 18 points over the last two quarters. Guera and Maya Mayhem both took on the jammer spot for the Putas in the second half but the Hellcats managed to keep either of them from scoring.
The Putas kept moving ahead, leaving the score at 34-27 with two minutes left in the third quarter. The Hellcats relied on assists with a total of 29 in the bout but the raw speed of the PDF was too much for them to contain. Penalties also cost them valuable points as they were called for 12 minor and five major penalties. To their credit the Hellcats took the bout down to the wire, trailing by two points with just three minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, but they couldn’t overcome the experience of the PDF.
The PDF came away with a hard-fout win, despite missing a few veteran skaters for this clash with the Hellcats. Losing to the Putas by a mere five points is a moral victory for the Hellcats, giving the fans a sneak preview of surprises in store for the next bout! Final score: Putas del Fuego 38, Hellcats 33. The Putas’ next bout is February 25th against the Cherry Bombs. The Hellcats next bout is March 4th, against the Rhinestone Cowgirls.