Dutchland Upsets DC, 110-82

By Lady Burn Johnson, Last updated Thu Feb 10 2011 6:55am

WASHINGTON, DC -- In an echo of their last meeting at the East Region Playoffs in September 2010, the outcome of Saturday’s bout between DC and Dutchland was determined by one question: Who could stay out of the penalty box? While their regionals matchup saw DC capitalize on Dutchland penalties for a decisive 206-118 victory, this time the advantage swung in Dutchland’s favor, and they claimed the 110-82 victory.

While neither team is currently in DNN's unofficial national Top 25 Power Rankings, the outcome does register as a official WFTDA rankings upset, as DC came into the bout ranked #9 in the East and Dutchland came in at #10.

The penalty trouble for DC began almost immediately; they started the second jam with only two blockers on the track, a position they would find themselves in throughout much of the bout. At first, Dutchland’s heavily defensive strategy actually worked in DC’s favor, freeing those two blockers to effectively keep Dutchland’s jammers trapped in the front of the pack. For the first 10 minutes of the bout, the two teams traded hit-and-quit jams, and Dutchland built a tenuous 16-10 lead. It came into jeopardy, though, when jammer Nash Villain was boxed — but DC’s Gun’Her Down and Condoleezza Slice were already there, giving Dutchland the ability to effectively manage the power jam and hold DC’s Free Radical to just 5 points. DC’s light pack was even more of a hindrance in the next jam; despite starting from the box, Nash Villain racked up an easy 14 points, putting Dutchland more firmly on top at 30-15.

With fuller packs and another power jam courtesy of Nash, DC quickly closed the gap again to 36-27. Dutchland blockers soon found themselves getting cozy with the penalty box as well, and the first 30 minutes closed out with a series of 2-on-2 and 4-on-2 jams. Dutchland led the only real charge on a 4-on-2 advantage; their agile front wall stymied DC’s Sookie Slaughterhouse while Twisted Scissors racked up 9 unanswered points. Finding themselves down 48-31 after that jam, DC again mounted a slow comeback, closing out the half only 8 points behind at 54-46.

Any hopes that the second half would be cleaner were dashed by the third jam, which saw every player on the track but one (only Dutchland blocker Renegade Raven escaped) spending time in the penalty box at some point. Often finding themselves at a disadvantage in the pack, Dutchland couldn’t manage to push their lead into the double digits – until a power jam combined with a 4-on-2 pack advantage gave Nash Villain another 14 points, bringing the score to 77-56. That powerjam was followed by two more for Dutchland, adding another 15 unanswered points to their tally.

With the score at 92-62 with 13 minutes left in the bout, DC needed a big opportunity to swing things back in their favor—and they soon got it when Nash Villain was sent out on a double major. At a pack disadvantage, however, they were only able to amass 5 points during Nash’s two minutes in the box, and Dutchland remained comfortably ahead at 101-73. The penalty box remained relatively empty for the last few jams of the bout (perhaps due in part to the fact DC’s Chinese Cheker and Gun’Her Down had already fouled out, and Dutchland’s Nash Villain soon would), but DC never got another opportunity to close in on Dutchland’s lead, and they finished with a 28-point victory at 110-82.

Photo gallery from James Calder