The 2019 home season couldn’t have ended better for the Cincinnati Rollergirls. Both the Black Sheep and the Violent Lambs emerged victorious at their annual Pride Night on May 11: The Black Sheep decisively defeated the higher-ranked Oklahoma Victory Dolls, 247-172, and the and the Violent Lambs bested Burning River Roller Derby’s Hazmat Crew, 207-153.

For the Black Sheep, the win was a testament to how far the squad has come this season. The No. 83-ranked Black Sheep fell to No. 74 OKVD by more than 100 points just two months before, but the Sheep looked like a totally different team on May 11, playing their most cohesive game yet this season.

After some initial jammer penalty trouble that gave OKVD the lead for the first 9 minutes of the game, CRG took it back with a 12-point jam by Jas Hubbard. But OKVD remained hot on their wheels, and a 16-point power jam by OKVD’s Lil Shanksta and a 12-point jam by Emma C. Hammer a few minutes before halftime helped narrow the gap. CRG led by just 11 points at the half, 95-84.

In the second half, OKVD ran into some jammer penalty trouble of their own, while CRG jammers Jas Hubbard, Nuk’em and Loko put up multiple double-digit jams – including a 20-8 jam by Nuk’em in the next-to-last jam of the game. OKVD won the last jam but CRG still won the game — and validation of this season’s hard work.

The Violent Lambs finished their home season undefeated with their victory over Burning River’s Hazmat Crew, with the help of the strong jammer core of Loko (playing in her second game of the night), Gnarly Manson, Mae Murder and rookie Ursa Maimher. And playing against her old team — also in her second game of the night — CRG blocker Train N. Pain was seemingly everywhere, consistently making jammers’ jobs difficult and helping to bring home an inspiring win.

Top scorers

Black Sheep: Jas Hubbard (94), Nuk’em (87), Loko (58)
OKVD: Lil Shanksta (58), Emma C. Hammer (50)
Violent Lambs: Loko (99), Gnarly Manson (52), Mae Murder (36)
Hazmat Crew: Sarah Bellum (59), Enemylou Harris (27), KILLDASH (23)

MVPs

Black Sheep: Nuk’em (jammer) Royal T (blocker)
OKVD: Lil Shanksta (jammer), SharpE MarkHer (blocker)
Violent Lambs: Loko (jammer), Train N Pain (blocker)
Hazmat Crew: Sarah Bellum (jammer), Purple Storm (blocker)

Next games

After the home season, all three CRG squads – the Black Sheep, the Violent Lambs and the C team, the Flock Ewes – will hit the road for a series of travel games:

Be sure to follow CRG on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest!