Jennifer Jones clutch to score spot in Scotties curling final

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Jennifer Jones couldn’t have scripted her farewell to the Scotties any higher …

Though a win Sunday night time for a historic seventh title take on the Canadian ladies’s curling championship will surely be the best way she’d need it to finish.

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“My final one, so … yeah … it’s enjoyable to be in these huge video games,” mentioned Jones, who introduced simply hours forward of the 2024 Scotties Match of Hearts that it might be her final.

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“All Scotties have been nice, however this one’s been fairly superior,” continued Jones. “So I don’t assume that I may’ve scripted it any higher.”

And with fairly the ending, besides.

Jones met Rachel Homan — herself searching for a fourth Scotties crown and skipping the most popular group on the planet — in Sunday’s championship draw at Calgary’s WinSport.

It was a 3rd assembly between the 2 legendary skips and their groups through the 10 days of those Scotties.

Each round-robin head-to-heads got here right down to the ultimate stone, with Homan popping out on high every time to conclude epic contests.

And the ultimate was anticipated to supply the identical sort of drama, with feelings for Jones hitting an all-time excessive.

“I simply needed to soak all of it in,” Jones mentioned. “The gang’s been superior. I simply actually needed to get pleasure from it. I’ve by no means not loved taking part in.”

Hugs and tears have been plentiful on her last day Sunday — from followers, foes, officers and her Manitoba group of third Karlee Burgess, second Emily Zacharias, lead Lauren Lenentine and coach Glenn Howard from the St. Important and Altona curling golf equipment.

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So, too, have been the accolades for top-of-the-line and most profitable athletes the game has ever seen, as she chased the prospect to face alone on high of most Scotties wins — yet one more than Colleen Jones.

“Jen’s been a pressure for 20-some years now,” added Howard. “Her uncanny potential to make the massive shot is what sticks in my thoughts. She makes clutch after clutch shot.”

SEMIFINAL SHOT

Jones executed one other clutch shot in profitable Sunday’s semifinal 12-7 over fellow Manitoba skip Kate Cameron and her group from Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Membership.

Not like lots of her memorable pictures, this one got here early — within the first finish to safe a five-ender.

Though the double-takeout wasn’t a circus shot — pretty straight-forward, in actual fact, for Jones — it was definitely clutch.

“It was,” agreed Cameron. “There was each groups going forwards and backwards on some unhealthy pictures in that first finish, I’d say. After which I put my first one nearly as good as we may, after which I may by no means bounce off (Jones’ rock) with my final one, and that’s what I did. And it’s Jen — she’s going to make these pictures greater than she’s not.”

It was her second five-count of the week.

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“In the event you preserve a lot of rocks in play, you by no means know,” Jones mentioned. “You may get an enormous finish. And we received lucky when Kate rubbed off and left me the double. That was clearly an enormous turning level within the sport.”

Actually, it was the top of Workforce Cameron, which unleashed fairly the run at these Scotties all the best way to the semifinal.

“We simply tried to keep up the scoreboard at that time and hoped that we’d get a few breaks alongside the best way,” mentioned Cameron of attempting to rebound after the five-ender. “Statistically, I don’t assume it’s good odds after that time, however I believe it was simply focusing one finish at a time and seeing if we may make one thing occur on the market.”

Cameron, third Meghan Walter, second Kelsey Rocque, lead Mackenzie Elias and alternate Taylor McDonald managed to attain deuces in every of the second, fourth and eighth ends, however Jones & Co. managed these within the third, fifth and seventh frames to proceed their dominance on the scoreboard.

“As a lot as that loss sucks proper now, the ladies are going to take so much from that,” Cameron mentioned. “I believe that’s one of many largest video games they’ve performed in. Tons to study from.

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“This entire week we are able to pull from,” continued Cameron, a 32-year-old Winnipeg native. “We turned some heads and gained a number of video games folks weren’t anticipating. We knew we may. We simply needed to keep in that mentality of 1 sport at a time — our backs have been in opposition to the wall since Thursday morning. So I believe it was fairly spectacular to make it to Sunday.”

Jones thought simply as a lot of her rival.

“I’ve an actual soft-spot for Kate,” Jones mentioned. “I believe she’s simply an superior particular person and an superior competitor. I like taking part in in opposition to them, as a result of they only love the sport and I see superior issues for them sooner or later.”

That, nonetheless, might be one with out Jones — not less than on the Scotties.

“Jen’s a extremely nice particular person and clearly a extremely fierce competitor,” added Cameron. “We’ve been taking part in in opposition to her for a very long time. And even rising up curling in Manitoba, you noticed her simply form what a variety of athletes needed to be, so that you appeared as much as her. I believe it might be fantastic for her to finish on a excessive and win this factor.”

EXTRA ENDS

The 2024 Scotties all-stars — together with the Robin Wilson First Workforce — have been introduced Saturday, with Workforce Homan inserting all 4 common members on the 2 squads. Homan herself is the first-team skip, becoming a member of her third, Tracy Fleury, and her second, Emma Miskew, on the star-studded high line-up honouring Robin Wilson, who was the driving pressure behind Scott Paper Restricted’s resolution in 1982 to come back aboard because the title sponsor of the Canadian Ladies’s Curling Championship … The primary-team all-star lead wasn’t even presupposed to be a daily, however Canada’s Krysten Karwacki stepped in for Briane Harris, who was deemed inexplicably ineligible simply hours forward of the Scotties start-up. Canada dominated the second-team all-star squad, with skip Kerri Einarson and second Shannon Birchard among the many honourees. They’re joined by third Karlee Burgess, of Jones’ Manitoba crew, and Homan’s lead, Sarah Wilkes … The Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award went to Ontario skip Danielle Inglis … Calgary’s Brenda Rogers is acknowledged because the 2024 Joan Mead Builder’s Award winner as a passionate curling volunteer, together with because the chief umpire for these Scotties. Rogers has spent 20 years as the top official for numerous Alberta curling organizations, together with Curling Alberta and the Southern Alberta Curling Affiliation … And Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press is the recipient of the 2024 Paul McLean Award, introduced by TSN to an individual behind the scenes who has made a big contribution to the game of curling. Spencer has attended 16 Scotties, 13 world championships and 9 Briers, along with three Winter Olympics.

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM

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