CHERRY BOMBS 59, PUTAS DEL FUEGO 22
TXRD—LONESTAR ROLLERGIRLS SEASON OPENS WITH A BANG
The Cherry Bombs and the Putas del Fuego threw-down Sunday night, in front of an insanely crowded hall, for the first regular bout of the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls season. Both teams were looking to make a statement: the Cherry Bombs were celebrating the return of roller derby legend Cherry Chainsaw from retirement, and the Putas were looking forward to debuting some very promising rookies. In the end, the Cherry Bombs went home victorious with the final score tallied to 59-22.
The first quarter was neck and neck. Rocky Casbah and Lynnie Bruise each put 3 points on the board to get the bout rolling. La Princessa made her jamming debut for the Putas, and although she was blocked hard in her first jam by Polly Urethane, it was clear to the crowd that this skater has some serious skills. The teams pushed and pulled back and forth, each scoring a point here and there. A 2-point long jump penalty loss for the Cherry Bombs (Heine Dancer only had to hop over the line because Lucy Cannon foot faulted) and a full jam by Heine Dancer pushed the Putas del Fuego ahead. Cherry Bomb powerhouse Rocky Casbah countered with a full jam of her own to close the gap. At the end of the first quarter, the score was Putas del Fuego 9, Cherry Bombs 8.
The second quarter began with some leftover penalty clean up from the first quarter. Lucy Cannon earned a minor penalty and pillow fought with La Princessa, who dominated in battle. At this point, the Cherry Bombs really began to hit their stride. Honey Homicide took charge at the pivot position and began clearing trails for her jammers to break through. While the Cherry Bombs held the Putas scoreless, Kate or Dye scored 2 points, Rocky Casbah scored 3 points, and Lucy Cannon scored 3 points. La Princessa broke the Putas scoring drought with a full 4 point jam, although Kate or Dye was right beside her to add 4 points of her own. There were lots of penalties for both teams in this bout, especially in the second quarter. Polly Urethane defeated Maya Mayhem in a two-lap duel, JoAnn Thrax was victorious in a pillow fight with Candi Sniper, and Cherry Chainsaw destroyed Heine Dancer in an arm wrestle. Lucy Cannon and Rocky Casbah’s combined efforts pulled another 9 points in to bring the score at the end of the first half to Cherry Bombs 28, Putas del Fuego 13.
The top point scorers for the first half were Rocky Casbah with 16 points for the Cherry Bombs and La Princessa with 6 points for the Putas. Honey Homicide led the Cherry Bombs in blocks; Death Vallery led the Putas in blocks.
The Cherry Bombs approached the third quarter in defensive mode. For several jams, they called the jam off before the Putas could score. Kate or Dye then broke through with a full jam to re-energize the CB offensive. The Putas came back a little with big scores from Heine Dancer and Lynnie Bruise, but the relentless Cherry Bombs scoring machine continued rolling forward. The score at the end of the third quarter was Cherry Bombs 37, Putas 22.
The Cherry Bomb scoring drive continued in the fourth quarter, with Lucy Cannon, Rocky Casbah and Daisy Mae Damage putting big numbers on the board. (Daisy Mae Damage scored back-to-back grand slam 5 point jams.) The bout became a mess of penalties and skater antics as the Cherry Bombs called off the big guns against the Putas. Death Vallery was ejected from the bout after getting 3 major penalties. The final score of the bout was Cherry Bombs 59, Putas del Fuego 22. Both teams skated hard and fast. The Putas del Fuego gained valuable experience for their rookies and let everyone know that the rumors were true–La Princessa is the real thing. Also, Lynnie Bruise and Heine Dancer have continued to improve. The Cherry Bombs showed that they are not a one-trick pony, standing behind Rocky Casbah: they possess multiple scoring threats and a very smart defense, which should combine to make them a force to be reckoned with this season.
The next bout will be held on Sunday, March 8, with the Hellcats taking on the Rhinestone Cowgirls at the Austin Convention Center.