It was hot outside in Phoenix on Saturday — but Skate Riot Project (SRP) turned up the heat inside with a big win over Tucson’s VICE Squad. SRP beat VICE 323-64 in Arizona Roller Derby’s Season 13 July bout at Ability 360.
The coppers from the VICE Squad kept pace with SRP early on, when the lead changed three times in the first six minutes. At the beginning of the sixth jam, VICE started with three in the penalty box, resulting in a power jam that allowed Heroin Monroe to rack up 25 quick points. SRP’s co-captain finished the bout with 44.
SRP outscored Vice 45 to 2 in the last fives minutes of the first half thanks to a 39-point jam by Captain Maria Montoya, which catapulted SPR to a 154-point lead heading into halftime. Maria Montoya was the top jammer for the half, scoring 58 points, followed by Goldy Knocks, who earned 45 of her 59 points in the first half.
In the second half, Maria Montoya racked up another 47 points for a game-high total of 105. For VICE, jammers Bitch Please, Cherry Pop-Her and Pyro Blaze combined for 51 of their squad’s 64 points.
SPR finished the bout strong with a 39-4 run in the last 10 minutes. SPR’s unrelenting defense held VICE to just 23 points in the second half.
Skate Riot Project takes the track again next month against the High Altitude Roller Derby’s Dark Sky Starletts in Flagstaff on Aug. 13.
The derby double-header continued at Ability 360 with a themed mash-up bout — the battle of the Alices! The Alice in Wonderlands took the Alice Coopers down the rabbit hole for a 190-157 win.
The Coopers held a slim lead over the Wonderlands until the ninth jam, when the Queen of Hits (Poyzenus Kandi) capitalized on a power jam to put her team up by eight. The Wonderlands took the lead for the first time and never looked back.
In the first half, the Queen of Hits and Eat Me (Westward Ho) each scored 17 for the Wonderlands while Slamabelle Lektor notched 32 for the Coopers. Lektor finished with 40 points.
In second-half action, the Wonderlands and the Coopers matched each other nearly point for point until the 12th jam, when Wonderlands’ This Way (Flexicutioner) scored 19 points on a power jam. She ended with a game-high 35 points in her first bout as a state-ranked player.
The Coopers tried to rally late, scoring 43 points in the final 11 minutes, including a 20-point jam by Moxie Mayhem, who contributed 37 points overall. But it wasn’t enough to catch the Wonderlands, who scored 91 points in the second half to secure the victory.