Moose Jaw curlers fall short at high school regionals
Teams from Moose Jaw came as close as they could when it came to qualifying for the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association provincial curling championships, but in the end luck just wasn’t on their side.
The Central Cyclones girls foursome of skip Niki Stark, third Ana Cornea, second Junea Wilderman, lead Michelle MacNeil and alternate Delaney O’Neal came the closest of the local rinks vying to get through regionals, overcoming a first-round loss to battle all the way back to the ‘B’ side qualifying game at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre. Central opened with a 10-6 loss to Gull Lake’s Rachel Murray, but followed that up with a pair of close wins – 7-6 over Emily Kuntz of Assiniboia and 11-10 over Eyebrow’s Danita Esmond – on the ‘B’ side to reach the qualifier and a rematch with Gull Lake. Murray went on to a 7-3 win. Maple Creek’s Morgan Robinson won the ‘A’ side spot. In the boys regional tournament, also in Moose Jaw, Central’s David Gray opened with a commanding 11-1 win over Dinsmore’s Josh McPhail before suffering a heartbreaking 9-8 loss to Swift Current’s Theo Lautsch after taking a 4-0 lead out of the first end. Gray then lost another close game in his first ‘B’ side contest, falling 5-4 to Pontiex’s Tanner Kendall. Cole Macknack of Mossbank won the ‘A’ side berth; Kindersley’s Sean Cey took the ‘B’ side spot.
At the mixed regional tournament in Assiniboia, Peacock’s Skylar Ackerman had little luck on her side, as the Toilers fell 10-3 in their first game and dropped an 8-7 decision to the hosts in their first
‘B’ side game.
Rosetown defeated Maple Creek in the ‘A’ final, Assiniboia downed Maple Creek to take the ‘B’ spot. Provincials begin Mar. 9, with the boys in Spiritwood, girls in Ituna and mixed in Rosetown.