Tsunami Sirens open bout on a 59-2 run, beat Angry Beavers
The Tsunami Sirens got their jammers out in front of the pack early and often Saturday night, defeating the Redding Angry Beavers 146-75 in front of about 350 fans at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds.
The Sirens had the lead jammer in 16 of the 17 jams in the 30-minute first half, scoring the bout’s first 22 points and running out to a 91-27 lead.
“Jammer/blocker awareness” was strong throughout the bout, according to Siren Macy “Macebomm” Bommelyn.
“Just knowing where I’m at, where I’m going,” said Bommelyn, who scored 10 points in the bout. “We held our lines, we held walls, we took care of business.”
Danielle “Ragin’ Reg” Arispe racked up two grand slams — passing all four opposing blockers and the opposing jammer — in the game’s third jam and another in the sixth jam. The Sirens led 36-2 after six jams before Caryn “Sconnie” Lawson put on the jammer’s cap.
Sirens coach Jack “Old Xchool” Gollaher called for an outside-to-inside sweep play (not unlike a football jet sweep) meant to free up Lawson.
Lawson finished the two-minute jam (the maximum time allowed within each period) with 23 points, including four grand slams, the highest single-jam point total in the bout.
Sirens 59, Angry Beavers 2.
“It’s nice to see Sconnie get a good jam,” Gollaher said. “She’s taking some real beatings, and she keeps coming back.”
Shelley “Auntie Virus” Palmer recorded the Sirens’ final grand slam of the first half, and Arispe and Chloe “Ole Chole” Joesten ended the half with consecutive four-point jams.
The second half of the bout grew increasingly physical and contentious, with the tempo slowed significantly. The Angry Beavers gained back a measure of control but never seriously threatened the Sirens’ lead.
“Coach was really wanting us to try to have control and slow the pack down,” Sirens blocker Bridget “Killa B” Lacey said. “In the first half, we were testing the waters. In the second half, we played our game.”
Gollaher was pleased with the fundamental play of his team.
“We teach the girls to hit with the shoulder blade (inside the opposing woman’s shoulder),” he said. “Those are shoulder blocks. It’s a very effective block. It puts people right on the floor.”
The Sirens had six grand slams of their own in the second half, including four by Joesten in the final jam of the game, which went the full allotted two minutes with the outcome long since decided.
“All credit to Redding — they’re a new team, just getting going,” Gollaher said. “They never quit.”
The Sirens improved their overall record to 3-2 on the season, with their next bout scheduled July 14 against Shasta Roller Derby at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds.
Reach Robert Husseman at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
