Rolling Thunders - Bronx Takes Manhattan 141-59
June 12, 2010
Rolling Thunders - Bronx Takes Manhattan 141-59
By Thomas Gerbasi
NEW YORK – June 12 – It was a tale of two halves Saturday night at the sold-out Hunter College gymnasium, much like November’s previous meeting of the Bronx Gridlock and Manhattan Mayhem in the 2009 Gotham Girls Roller Derby championship game. And in both games, it was the Bronx squad emerging victorious, this time by a score of 141-59 after a ferocious second half assault that left derby followers stunned.
Not surprisingly, 2009’s Best Jammer, Bonnie Thunders, earned Bronx MVP honors and led the way for the defending GGRD champions with no penalties and 84 points, just four short of the league record 88 points she compiled against the Mayhem in last year’s championship. Em Dash put up 32 points for Manhattan, while Miss American Thighs earned team MVP honors for her solid pivot and blocking work in anchoring a defense that was depleted by a costly first half injury to captain Sweet Sherry Pie, along with pre-game injuries to veteran jammer/blocker Roxy Gibrawltar and rookie WheelHellMeana.
Looking to make a statement early, the upstart Manhattanites used their tall and powerful blockers to build a sizeable 36-17 lead through the first twelve jams, shutting down all Bronx jammers not named Bonnie Thunders.
But in that 12th jam, Bronx jamming rookie B-Zerk survived two big takedowns which resulted in major penalties for Sweet Sherry Pie and Anne Frankenstein. B-Zerk’s resilience seemed to spark the Gridlock, which took advantage of the ensuing short Mayhem pack to launch a 35-0 run, taking a 52-36 lead. And while a period-ending nine point jam by Manhattan’s Swede Hurt closed the halftime gap to 58-46, the Gridlock were just warming up.
Memory of the Gridlock’s 77-24 second half in their last meeting had to be fresh in the Mayhem’s minds. Manhattan was game and still chasing victory out of the second period gate, kicking matters off with a five point jam from Swede Hurt that cut their deficit to eight.
That’s as close as they would get, though, as Thunders, B-Zerk (who logged a career-high 29 points), Beatrix Slaughter (15), Care Bear Scare (8), and Luna Impact (5) piled on the points while the defensive walls of Beyonsláy, Ginger Snap, Kandy Kakes, Speed McQueen, Rat-A-Tat Kat, and Dainty Inferno shut the door on the Mayhem offense, pitching ten consecutive shut-outs and allowing only three points over the game’s final 13 jams.
Above: a Bronx blocking wall of Care Bear Scare, Speed McQueen, and
Ani Dispanco clamps down on the Mayhem's Swede Hurt. Photo: Chris Chin.
The Bronx’s stingy defensive effort – a 13-point second half -- followed their May opening bout in which they only gave up 19 points in the first half against Brooklyn. More impressively, the Gridlock gave up the tiny 13-point total with just one trip to the penalty box in the whole period.
Without Sweet Sherry Pie available in the second period, the Mayhem’s managers were forced to stretch their roster in untested ways, giving rookie Jensurgency her first GGRD jamming action, and pressing All-Star Fisti Cuffs into service as a jammer for seven jams, pivot for eight, and blocker for six. While blocking and pivoting, Fisti tallied a “plus-minus” of negative 3, a startling figure for a very busy player on a team which lost by a deficit of eighty-two.
Needless to say, the Bronx victory was an ominous sign to the rest of the ladies in the GGRD. However, with the high level of talent throughout in the league, and with everyone painting a target on the Bronx’s yellow jerseys, a repeat championship for the cabbies is far from guaranteed, as the Queens of Pain hope to demonstrate when they get their shot against the Bronx on August 7th.
But first, Queens meets the Brooklyn Bombshells on July 10th, as both those squads look to claim an advantage in the wide-open race for the second slot on the 2010 finals.
This full Manhattan-Bronx bout, along with skater profiles, replays, and commentary, will air on NYC live (Channel 25) on Wednesday night, June 23, at 11:30pm, and will be viewable on-demand afterward at www.ggrd-nyclife.com.
Above: bout MVPs Bonnie Thunders and Miss American Thighs. Photo: Chris Chin.
Period 1 Period 2 Total
Bronx 58 83 141
Manhattan 46 13 59
Bronx MVP: Bonnie Thunders
Manhattan MVP: Miss American Thighs
Leading Bronx Scorers:
Bonnie Thunders: 84 points (15 jams)
B-Zerk: 29 points (8 jams)
Beatrix Slaughter: 15 points (6 jams)
Leading Bronx Blockers:
Kandy Kakes: 21 jams (+26 +/-)
Ginger Snap: 18 jams (+41 +/-)
Beyonsláy: 15 jams (+28 +/-)
Leading Manhattan Scorers:
Em Dash: 32 points (18 jams)
Swede Hurt: 17 points (5 jams)
Fisti Cuffs: 10 points (7 jams)
Leading Manhattan Blockers:
Miss American Thighs: 21 jams (-27 +/-)
GalXC: 18 jams (-28 +/-)
Swede Hurt: 16 jams (-52 +/-)
Bronx penalties:
Minors: 40. Majors: 4. Box Trips: 8
Manhattan penalties:
Minors: 42. Majors: 14. Box Trips: 19
