2018 Playoffs Atlanta Game 14: Atlanta vs. Bay Area
Atlanta Rollergirls (Seed #4, WFTDA #11) vs. Bay Area Derby (Seed #7, WFTDA #19)
213
202
Giving the hometown crowd something to cheer about, the tournament host Atlanta Rollergirls of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. (Seed #4, WFTDA #11) defeated Bay Area Derby of San Francisco, California, U.S. (Seed #7, WFTDA #19), 213-202, in each team’s final game of the 2018 International WFTDA Playoffs Atlanta.
What an intense game between @AtlRollergirls & @BayAreaDerby So many amazing skaters, moves, and hits! đ€© #talk2WFTDA pic.twitter.com/Y2KT9Y87oG
â Roulette Wheels (@RouletteWheels) September 23, 2018
This was a rematch of a game Atlanta hosted four months ago, where their Dirty South Derby Girls took a one-point victory over the Bay Area All Stars.
“When we first played Bay Area we were still finding our groove â even though we won that game, we only won by one point,” Atlanta jammer Blaque Jac told WFTDA.tv after the game.
The first half consisted of 27 quick, low-scoring jams, with Bay Area holding the lead for much of the half. Bay Area jammer April Bloodgate helped her team to a 26-point lead midway through the period before Atlanta put together a string of steady offense and went on a 25-4 run. High-flying Dirty South jammer Ana Cheng ended the period with a nine-point jam to give her team the 83-74 advantage at halftime.
The second half was marked by penalty issues and therefore short-sided lines for both teams â not uncommon on the third day of a tournament. Atlanta never relinquished the lead, although a combined 44 points in two jams for Bay Area’s Legs//CitĂ© and Dani Rueda brought them to within eight points with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Atlanta took a seven-point advantage into the final jam with just seconds remaining, and Bay Area looked to challenge when April Bloodgate earned lead jammer status. But a jammer penalty allowed Atlanta’s Ana Cheng to post a 15-point power jam to secure the game in front of a roaring hometown crowd.
Ana Cheng is Soo good at creating and exploiting that negative space. #talk2wftda #wftdATL @AtlRollergirls â€ïžđâ€ïžđ
â Dida (@DidaDoesDerby) September 23, 2018
Ana Cheng had a game-high 82 points, while Atlanta’s Blaque Jac had 54 and Afro Dkyee and Trouble MakeHer each had 31. Atlanta’s defense was anchored by team captain Baller Shot Caller, ZipBlok, Queen Loseyateefa, and Wild Cherri.
Bay Area’s April Bloodgate finished with 62 points, while Legs//CitĂ© had 57 and Dani Rueda had 52. Defensive standouts were Cassie Beck, Skatelyn, Esteemed Bun Bun, Sterling Archer, and Dirtt.
Atlanta lost to the London Rollergirls of London, England (Seed #5, WFTDA #14) in their first tournament game to land in the consolation bracket. Atlanta jammer Blaque Jac said the London game was a tough loss. “We didn’t bring it as hard as we should have the first game. Today we said we gotta come back out here and play like we’re playing for gold.”
Bay Area defeated the Queen City Roller Girls of Buffalo, New York, U.S. (Seed #10, WFTDA #26) on Friday but lost to Montréal Roller Derby of Montréal, Québec, Canada (Seed #2, WFTDA #7) on Saturday.
what an amazing weekend đ± this has been the best derby Iâve seen in the last 10 years! Iâve been brought to đ several times, all the goosebumps, â„ïž racing. What will the @JAXRollerGirls v @TXRollergirls game bring? I donât even know #strongathletic #whatonearth #talk2wftda
â TheaNihilator (@TheaNihilator) September 23, 2018
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