OHRG wins 4th straight bout, defeats Naptown Sirens; Gang Green takes out Warning Belles

Strong D, big jam extends win streak to four

A 13-point jam by Pippi RipYourStockings with less than 10 minutes left in the second half turned the tides in the favor of the Ohio Roller Girls and gave them the 65-59 victory against the Naptown Roller Girls Tornado Sirens and extended its win streak to four in the 2009 season.
In the most-exciting game of the Ohio season, OHRG and Naptown showed strong defense throughout the bout, trading blow after blow and keeping the game neck and neck the full 60 minutes. In what was a low-scoring affair most of the first half, shut down defense and smart jamming were the names of the game.

The pack was very tight and gave jammers from both teams trouble all night just to get out from their initial passes. In some instances it took more than a minute for any jammer to escape the iron-clad defense and come back around to score. As a result, there were several low-scoring jams as jammers from both teams quickly called off jams as they came back around as they were again stonewalled by tenacious pack play.

It was not until the last jam of the half that any team could make a statement and take the upper hand. Naptown jammer Jane Ire was able to slice through the Ohio pack for the lead jam as OHRG jammer Foxy Force found difficulties getting around the Naptown defense. This, coupled with three one-minute penalties assessed to Ohio blockers, allowed Blazin’ Ace to extend a small four-point advantage into a comfortable 14-point lead going into the intermission.

Not a single player let up her intensity as the second half ensued and maintained the high level of play from the starting minutes of the bout. The small back-and-forth gains extended the lead to as many as 16 points for Naptown, as Ohio could not find a big jam to get them back into the game.

Then Pippi RipYourStocking toed the line for the Ohio Roller Girls unopposed and with another Naptown blocker accompanying the jammer in the penalty box. Pippi easily cut through the pack to gain lead jammer as her teammates controlled the pack speed allowing Pippi to swiftly skate around to the back of the pack and gain five points in her first pass. Naptown jammer Ana Slays Ya was released from the penalty box and the Ohio blockers swarmed to her giving Pippi enough time to rack up another grand slam and take advantage of another pass to add the final three points of her game-high 13-point jam. More importantly, the pivotal jam gave Ohio the 61-60 lead with less than 10 minutes to go.

The OHRG faithful roared with excitement at the turn-around, and the Ohio pack seemed to find another level of teamwork and shutdown defense in the waning minutes. Only seven total points would be scored after Pippi’s game-tilting jam that included Naptown scoring only two points in the final five jams.

With the 65-59 victory, Ohio is now 4-2 on the season. The Ohio Roller Girls next face the Cincinnati Roller Girls June 20 in Cincinnati and will be the biggest challenge this season. Tickets are on sale now and available to Ohio Roller Girls fans at discounted prices. Call the Cincinnati Gardens box office at 513-631-7793 and tell them you are a fan of the Ohio Roller Girls and want to get discounted tickets to this weekend’s bout.

Gang Green takes down Indy’s Warning Belles
A heavy-hitting, defensive and low-scoring first half turned into a lop-sided victory for OHRG Gang Green as they went into Indianapolis to defeat the Naptown Warning Belles 64-31 and earn its second victory of the year.

The skill of these teams showed throughout the first half as both defenses allowed minimal scoring with the Warning Belles skating to a 27-20 halftime lead. The second half was a completely different story as Gang Green found its rhythm on both the offensive and defensive ends of the bout.

With an abbreviated roster of 10 skaters, Gang Green dominated every aspect of the second half from smart jamming to impenetrable defensive walls. Hellion BOI started OHRG’s impressive play by coming out of the break on the jammer line and immediately posted a 9-0 jam and gave Gang Green the lead once and for all.

The defense was even better in the second half with Captain Handle Barz, Hellion BOI and rookie Val-n-tina Sauci landing big time hits on Naptown blockers and jammers throughout the half. OHRG locked down the Belles limiting them to only four points the entire half, including a scoreless drought of more than 22 minutes.

Gang Green will take its improved game play into Cincinnati, June 20, against the Cincinnati Roller Girls Silent Lambs looking to build on its victory over the Warning Belles. Tickets to the bout will be available at the discounted rate of $7 by calling the Cincinnati Gardens box office at 513-631-7793 and telling them you’re an OHRG fan.