Las Vegas Weekly

January 30, 2012 · 3:34 PM

Las Vegas Sin’s season ends with loss to defending champions L.A.

By Robin Leach

Las Vegas Sin vs. Los Angeles Temptation in Ontario, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Temptation won 27-18.

The debut season of the Las Vegas Sin in the Lingerie Football League ended Sunday afternoon in the Western Conference Championships when the defending champion Los Angeles Temptation won the WCC for a record-setting third consecutive year, 27-18, in Ontario, Calif.

Right out of the first scrimmage, Melissa Margulies of the Temptation scored a 35-yard touchdown to give L.A. an 8-0 advantage that demoralized our hometown gridiron girls and from which they never recovered. The Sin’s Carrie Walters and Nikki Johnson teamed up to cut the early lead down to just 2, but it was the closest that they would be to their opponents during the game, and Nikki suffered a fractured wrist to add injury to insult.

All a shame after a 4-0 season made worse because they’d beaten the Temptation during the regular season. But credit where credit is due, as nobody gave the Sin a shot at a win, let alone four consecutive ones and a berth in the WCC. Congrats to our Sin sensations for advancing as far as they did!

LFL360.com expert Jim Wallin reported: L.A.’s standout performances were notched up by game MVP Ashley Salerno (10/15, 142 YDS, 3 TD), Audrey Latsko (3 REC, 35 YDS, 2 TD) and Margulies (4 REC, 74 YDS, TD). Salerno engineered an eight-play, 35-yard drive, scoring on a three-yard bootleg to push Los Angeles to a 14-6 lead. Then, after a key defensive stop, the Temptation offense was at it again, this time Latsko scoring on a 14-yard passing play to make the score 21-6.

After the Sin stormed down the field to counterpunch the defending champions, as Cassie Strickland bruised her way into the end zone to cut their lead to 9, the Temptation wasted little time in settling the score, as Salerno once again connected with Latsko as the clock ticked down to give the Temptation a 27-12 halftime lead, one they never relinquished.

Salerno and her teammates, namely Margulies and Latsko on offense, have silenced critics who openly doubted whether the team could regain its championship form in time to advance to their third consecutive Lingerie Bowl.

Sin cornerbacks Strickland, Jenny Yukich and Tamica Estrella failed to make big plays, though Estrella turned in a good first half, but Strickland struggled on her side of the field. The Sin offense moved the ball effectively, but as is the case in most multi-possession deficits, red zone efficiency is the biggest key. Los Angeles converted on their opportunities, while Vegas was not able to keep stride.

Las Vegas cut into the lead early in the second half, thanks to a Mia Chambers one-yard-run, but from there, both defenses tightened, and the final score ultimately was settled at that point. Los Angeles’ defense was led by Chloe Butler (6 tackles, 1 sack), who sidelined Johnson late in the second half with a fractured wrist, similar to an injury she indirectly inflicted upon Minnesota Valkyrie quarterback Jana Skrtic in the season.

Las Vegas’ secondary saw a lot of action, with Strickland (6 tackles) leading the team in tackles, and Estrella (4 tackles) turning in a solid performance on her side of the field. Las Vegas ended a perfect regular season in its first post-season contest. The difference in the game proved to be L.A.’s big play threat surpassing that of the Sin’s 60-percent red zone efficiency.

Now L.A. heads here Wednesday for LFL Media Day, and the team defends their Lingerie Bowl championship Sunday at the Orleans Arena against the Philadelphia Passion, who won the Eastern Conference Championships against the Tampa Bay Breeze also on Sunday.

The showdown between L.A. and Philly is a repeat of last year's Lingerie Bowl 8 when L.A. defeated Philly 26-25. Lingerie Bowl 9 airs live from Orleans Arena on MTV2 in competition with Super Bowl 46’s halftime show, with tailgate parties, screenings and victory bashes all at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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