Sick Town’s S*M*A*S*H* Unit took on Eugene’s Emerald City Andromedolls in a hard-fought bout that ended in a loss for the local team. “The Summer of Shove” was the theme, and both teams showed up ready for action. Hits were hard, jammers were fast, there were plenty of spills, and the crowd was enthusiastic, even booing when Sick Town’s jammer Rollin’ Rebel was sent to the box over a penalty call that many found dubious.
Play was intense and close, with S*M*A*S*H* Unit biting at the Andromedolls’ heels for most of the first half of the bout, before pulling ahead just before half time. Unfortunately, when the teams got back on the track, S*M*A*S*H* slowly lost their hold on the lead. Up until the last 5 minutes it was either team’s game, until the Andromedolls managed to take full advantage of their power jams and pulled ahead over 30 points in the final minutes. Final score: 171-206, Andromedolls’ win.
The adult bout was opened by a mini-bout by the Candy Stripers, the local junior league made up of skaters 10 to 17 years old. Separated into the same two teams they bouted as in their last game, the Black Pearls and the Queens of Hurt, this half-hour long bout was a nail-biter, with Queens of Hurt pulling ahead in the very last minute to win 120-119. The teams are now evenly matched for wins; their next bout is sure to be a real grudge match, as each team will be pushing themselves to win two out of three.
S*M*A*S*H* Unit’s next bout is in Eugene on Saturday, June 22; their next home bout is not until Nov. 9. Visit www.sicktownderbydames.com for details.
By Mica Habarad
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com