Allison MacInnes of Kamloops finally derailed the Kelly Scott Express at the B.C. Scotties women’s curling championship at the Cloverdale club in Surrey.
Scott’s Kelowna rink, which has won the last three B.C. championships, took a 5-0 record into Wednesday night’s sixth draw, only to lose 9-7 to MacInnes, who is skipping a rink out of Abbotsford.
Scott had beaten Simone Groundwater of Williams Lake 11-2 in the morning draw, while MacInnes was beating Marilou Richter of New Westminster, 9-6.
By getting past Scott, MacInnes, who curls with her sister, Grace, at third, second Diane Gushulak and lead Jacalyn Brown, improved to 4-2 and stayed in the chase.
Scott and Prince George’s Patti Knezevic are out front, both at 5-1. MacInnes is joined at 4-2 by Marla Mallett of the host club.
MacInnes took control against Scott by taking two in the fourth end for a 3-2 lead and then grabbing three in the sixth to go ahead 6-3.
Scott took two in the seventh, but MacInnes got that back in the eight. Scott counted two more in the ninth to get within one, but MacInnes iced it with one in the 10th.
Knezevic got past Mallett 7-6 in an extra end in the morning, and then bounced Groundwater, 11-7, last night. Knezevic counted four in the second and three in the fourth to take control against Groundwater.
Mallett bounced back last night and beat Lori Olsen of New Westminster, 8-5, to get to 4-2. Mallett erased a 5-4 deficit with three in the ninth end. Mallett won the championship in 2009, after which Scott began her three-year run.
In other morning games, Fox defeated Roberta Kuhn of Vernon 7-6 and Simone Brosseau of Victoria beat Olsen, 10-7.
Also last night, Richter counted three in the first and went on to a 7-6 victory over Fox, while Kuhn edged Brosseau, 8-7, in 11 ends.
Fox and Richter are tied at 3-3, with Brosseau and Kuhn at 2-4, and Groundwater and Olsen at 1-5.
Four teams will advance to the playoff round, which is scheduled to start Friday night. The championship game goes Sunday at 2 p.m.
The winner advances to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kingston, Ont., Feb. 16-24.
