Rachel Homan has booked a return trip to the Ontario Scotties final.
The two-time provincial champion from Ottawa advanced with a convincing 9-3 victory over Cathy Auld of Dundas during Saturday’s semifinal.
Homan, ranked No. 1 on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit, takes on Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga in Sunday’s championship game. The winner will represent the host province at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts in St. Catharines running Feb. 18-26.
The semifinal didn’t start out as planned for Homan as she looked to blank the first end with a hit and roll, but landed on the nose instead for a single. Auld faced the same situation in the second and misfired as her rock went through the rings, leaving Homan’s counter untouched, to concede a steal and fall behind 2-0.
Another blank attempt by Auld in the third failed as well as her rock stuck around this time for a single.
Auld couldn’t bury her second stone rock of the fourth end and Homan broke the game wide open with a hit on her last to score four to build a commanding 6-1 advantage.
The teams exchanged singles in five and six and Homan forced Auld to hit for another lone point in seven. Homan split the rings in eight and made a tap for two with her final rock that put the game out of reach for Auld and brought out handshakes.
Homan finished second in the round-robin standings with a 5-2 record to qualify for the playoffs. Auld went 4-3 and needed a 10-4 win over Allison Flaxey of Caledon in Friday night’s tiebreaker to reach the semifinal.
Harrison (6-1) dropped her first game to Julie Tippin of Woodstock before winning six straight to clinch the direct berth to the final. Team Harrison slipped past Team Homan 6-5 in their round-robin match.
Homan fell in last year’s final to Ottawa’s Jenn Hanna, who stepped back from competitive curling after the season and did not return to defend the title.
Toronto’s John Epping meets Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene in the Ontario men’s Recharge with Milk Tankard 1-2 Page playoff Saturday afternoon with the winner moving on to Sunday’s final. Scott Bailey of Dundas plays in the evening 3-4 game and awaits the winner of the second tiebreaker between Codey Maus of London and Wayne Tuck Jr. of Brantford.
Maus rallied late to beat Greg Balsdon of Kingston 7-4 during the first tiebreaker in the morning. Trailing by two, Maus scored a deuce in the eighth, stole one in the ninth and two in the 10th to complete the comeback victory.
