CurlingZone: Homan picks up second win at BOOST National

Team Rachel Homan (Photo: Anil Mungal, GSOC) have moved into a solid position in the standings after a win over Team Jones heading into the final day of the BOOST National Grand Slam event.

By: Cameron Sallaj

In Draw 12 of the BOOST National in North Bay, Rachel Homan and her Ottawa based team went up against Jennifer Jones' new Winnipeg squad in a match between two experienced veterans. Coming into the game, the teams were matched evenly, each holding 1-1 records after the second day of competition. So far this season, the two teams had met one in the final of the Saville Shoot-Out, which was won by the Jones rink 5-4.

Team Homan, with skip Tracy Fleury, fourth Rachel Homan, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes began the game strong. After winning the draw to the button, the Ottawa team opened with a count of two.

Their lead wouldn't last for long, however, as in the second end a miscue by Homan allowed Jennifer Jones a draw to the house to count three points and put her team into the lead 3-2.

Facing a couple Jones counters, Rachel Homan drew her final rock of the third end into the four-foot to prevent a steal and score a single point. The team from Ontario would add to their total with the first stolen point of the game in the fourth end, taking a 4-3 edge.

Coming back in the fifth, Jones was able to even the match with a single of her own. The teams then blanked the sixth end to remain tied heading into seven.

The penultimate end would prove to be the deciding point in the match. A strong setup by Wilkes, Miskew, and Fleury gave Rachel Homan the opportunity to draw to the house for a massive three points to put her team in control heading into the final end. There, Team Jones was run out of stones, giving Team Homan their second win of the event.

The Ottawa team are now 2-1 in the sixteen team round robin which will see eight teams qualify for the playoff round. With the loss, Team Jones slips to 1-2 and will need a win Friday for a shot at the knockout stage.

Elsewhere Thursday night in North Bay, Manitoba's Team Kerri Einarson and Japan's Team Satsuki Fujisawa each improved their records to 3-0 and qualified for the playoff round. Einarson were 9-6 winners over Ontario's Team Hollie Duncan while Fujisawa took a 5-2 decision over Northern Ontario's Krista McCarville. Both Duncan and McCarville are now eliminated at 0-3.

In the final game of the night, Sweden's Team Isabella Wrana took steals in the first, fourth, and fifth ends to stump South Korea's Team Eun-Jung Kim 9-3. Wrana is now 2-1 while Kim falls to 1-2.

The BOOST National continues all week long from the North Bay Memorial Gardens in North Bay, Ontario. The event is being broadcast throughout the weekend on Sportsnet channels and Sportsnet NOW.

SCORES, STANDINGS, and STREAMING LINKS on www.CurlingZone.com.

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