#4 Windy Holds Off #7 Charm, 117-98

By Mike Ondolences, Last updated Sun Sep 6 2009 3:43am

CHICAGO, IL -- Fresh off a decisive mid-August spanking of the third-ranked Philadelphia Liberty Belles, Baltimore’s Charm City Roller Girls bounced into town Saturday night looking to hand the Windy City All-Stars an unprecedented second home loss.

The tenacious and opportunistic Charm City whittled down a huge Windy City lead late in the second half while Chicago players circled the track waiting to take seats in a crowded penalty box.  But a 20-point jam by rookie All-Star Ruth Enasia and door-closing defense late in the bout by veteran beat-down artist Hoosier Mama sealed the win for Windy City, 117-98.

During introductions, Charm City upstaged the home team by bunching into a tight pack and bouncing in unison to Windy City’s theme song, “Move Bitch.” But apparently in a hurry to expectorate the bitter taste of a one-point home loss to Philly in July, Windy City used the first 10 minutes of the half to roll up a 28-0 lead, sparked by a pair of grand slams by Athena DeCrime in the third jam. Charm City did not get on the board until the eleventh minute of the game, and managed just nine points for the first 18 minutes. Adept, physical defense by Ying O'Fire, Blossom Bruiso, and Malice With Chains allowed Windy City jammers to rack up points on every one of the first 12 jams despite playing one or two players short.

There was a particularly unusual moment with about 15 minutes left in the half. With her team down 40-9, Charm City jammer Flo Shizzle's skate locked up during her opening pass; she pulled herself off of the track and into the infield, fruitlessly tugging at a wheel and handing Windy City’s Shocka Conduit a de facto power jam. With the Charm City bench screaming, she finally crawled onto the track, obligating officials to whistle the jam dead. WCR challenged the call, which was eventually upheld. The long official’s time out seemed to advantage Charm City, however, which finally capitalized on WCR mistakes.

In the twelfth jam, with a WCR skater already in the box, Ying O'Fire and Blossom Bruiso were both sent off with majors in the first 30 seconds of the jam. Showing why she is one of the nation’s best at the front of the pack, Charm City’s Dolly Rocket punished what was left of the WCR blockers while Charm's jammer Just Carol stirred the pot for 16 points.

Hoosier Mama and Yvette YourMaker (who was supported by a large fan club with matching t-shirts camped behind the WCR bench) neutralized notable Baltimore rookie Bambi’s Revenge, and the two teams played scoreless for several minutes until the half’s last jam. With only a minute left, Just Carol looked positioned to exploit a power jam, but Hoosier, Malice, and Go-Go Hatchet slammed the door with a dramatic penalty kill, leaving the home team up 58-33 at the break.