Jones two wins away from fairy-tale finale

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This article was published 23/02/2024 (592 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Jennifer Jones is just two wins away from writing an incredible final chapter in her Scotties Tournament of Hearts career.

The legend from St. Vital has put herself in prime position to capture a record seventh women’s curling national title as she took down Alberta’s Selena Sturmay 8-4 in Friday’s 1 vs. 2 qualifier. She will now meet Ontario’s Rachel Homan — who remains undefeated after beating Canada’s Kerri Einarson by the same score in the other qualifier — today at 7 p.m. inside Calgary’s WinSport Event Centre.

Jones and Homan have had no shortage of duels over the years and it’s only fitting that they have at least one more with so much on the line. The winner advances to Sunday’s gold medal game.

Homan beat Jones 7-5 in round robin play earlier in the week.

“Any time you can get a win and move yourself along in the process, it’s everything. This was a massive game for us and we’re pretty proud of ourselves,” said Jones. “We’ve met (Homan) a lot of times in big games and obviously, they’re playing really well this week. It’s always fun to play them, you know you’re gonna have to play your best and that’s what you always want as an athlete.”

The loser of Jones-Homan will drop down to Sunday afternoon’s semi-final. The opponent waiting for them will be the winner of today’s 1 p.m. showdown between Manitoba’s Kate Cameron and Sturmay.

Although Jones can skip ahead, she still finds herself in a tough predicament with Homan — the No. 1-ranked team in the country and the No. 2 in the world behind Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni.

Homan, a three-time national champion, is on a mission as she’s curling at a remarkable 92 per cent this week. The 34-year-old from Ottawa has failed to win the event in her last six trips.

“We’ve put everything we can into training and trying to get back here and trying to represent Canada, hopefully. But there’s so many amazing teams here. It’s sport, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Homan.

“With all the amazing games we’ve had this week, I know Canada’s going to have a great representative.”

Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes are 47-5 this season, including a 4-0 record against Jones.

They combined to shoot 90 per cent against Einarson and pulled away by scoring three in the seventh end.

“There’s no weakness. This is the best they’ve played all year which is nice,” said Team Homan coach Don Bartlett, who used to play lead for Kevin Martin. “(Homan) wants this really bad. This is one of the best prepared athletes I’ve ever been around, and that includes Kevin Martin. She does everything to get ready, and she’s ready.”

With Jones announcing this will be her last nationals, she wants it just as bad, and is soaking in every moment.

“You always question whether you’re doing the right thing or the wrong thing. She’s at peace with the decision, but on the same token, it’s been emotional for her and I marvel at how she can handle that emotion,” said Team Jones coach Glenn Howard. “She stays 45 minutes after every game to sign autographs. She’s going above and beyond this week to thank the fans and everybody and that’s just who she is. And yet, she can then produce on the curling sheet right after. It’s remarkable.”

It hasn’t been all Jones, as her position players — third Karlee Burgess, second Emily Zacharias, and lead Lauren Lenentine — have more than held their own. The team shot 87 per cent against Sturmay.

After reaching the 2023 championship game, Jones’s young teammates aren’t strangers to this stage of the tournament.

“Last year, I think we were a little bit more of the underdogs going into the final game. Obviously, Jen is meant to be there, but the three of us are just as talented to be in the final,” said Burgess. “We showcased ourselves a little bit last year and I think the experience from playing in those high stakes games last year really helped us moving forward. It should be a fun last couple days.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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