East Quarterfinals: 1E Gotham Breezes By 8E Carolina, 437-8

By Lex Talionis, Last updated Fri Sep 28 2012 6:06pm

BURLINGTON, VT -- A 28-0 two-minute opening jam featuring five natural grand slams for Bonnie Thunders made it clear to anyone who might have had any doubts how this bout would go--or were unfamiliar with the sport of roller derby--how this one was going to end. It wasn't pretty; Gotham were effective, to say the least. Carolina's performance wasn't without bright spots, though. Returning veteran Holly Wanna Crackya livened up the crowd at points, as did DVS and long-serving star Roxy Rockett. But it was all Gotham, all the time; the 2011 WFTDA Champions booked their place in the final four with a crushing 437-8 victory. It was the first ever 400-point margin in playoff history, and the ninth ever in WFTDA sanctioned play.

Bout stats via Rinxter.

It was 49-0 to Gotham when Slambda Phage took the star for the first time--and she became the first Gotham jammer to not claim lead jammer, and then the first to go to the box when she slid into the back of Carolina's wall, taking took them out at the ankles. That meant Jojo Gadget could make it 49-2 but, struggling against the Gotham pack, she called it halfway through her scoring pass. When Phage got out of the box next jam, she swiftly got lead and normal service was resumed. The half ended 223-2, but with Phage seated in the penalty box for a second time after a back block call.

Gotham successfully killed that entire penalty, however, and the rest of the second half was much the same as the first. Carolina's DVS picked up lead and two points over Gotham's Fisti Cuffs when the Gotham blocking vet took her first turn with the star midway through the half, and with a little over five minutes left DVS got lead over Bonnie Thunders as MC Fyte wrought a little havoc in the Gotham pack; she claimed four points to make it 373-8.

The final five minutes were, again, all very much Gotham; the bout finished 437-8. Gotham progress to a semifinal against the winner of Charm City and Steel City at 2 p.m. tomorrow; Carolina go into the consolation bracket at 4 p.m. tomorrow.