Few keeping up with defending champ Jones at Olympic curling trials

OTTAWA — Having a potential game-winning shot against the Olympic champion is challenging enough for a young skip.

Throw in some frosty ice conditions and your chances get even slimmer.

It all proved to be too much for Casey Scheidegger, who gave up back-to-back steals on Tuesday afternoon to hand Jennifer Jones an 8-7 victory at the Olympic Trials. Scheidegger’s missed takeout attempt in the extra end was the difference.

“The ice was tricky in the end,” Jones said. “So we wanted to make her have to make a shot and fortunately for us, she just missed it and we got away with a steal.”

Jones (5-0) topped the women’s standings after 10 draws at Canadian Tire Centre. Calgary’s Chelsea Carey (4-0) also remained unbeaten after a 9-3 rout of Toronto’s Allison Flaxey in the morning draw.

“I didn’t expect that to be quite as easy as it was,” Carey said. “They’re a better team than that. But we’ll take it because we’ve had a couple of close nailbiters that were hard on the nerves.”

Scheidegger missed a chance to move into a tie with Ottawa’s Rachel Homan at 3-1. Instead, she fell to 2-2 and will have some work to do to make it to the weekend playoffs.

“Just not the greatest throw and tricky ice,” said Scheidegger, who added nerves weren’t an issue. “It happens.”

Edmonton’s Val Sweeting (2-3) stayed in the mix after topping Winnipeg’s Michelle Englot 8-5.

Calgary’s Kevin Koe was alone in first place in the men’s standings at 5-0 after topping the previously unbeaten Mike McEwen of Winnipeg 6-5.

McEwen said he was just a little off with his first throw in the eighth end and it proved costly.

“It doesn’t take much in a game like that to win or lose,” he said.

Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., dropped an 8-6 decision to Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock in the other afternoon men’s game.