Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones has drawn one step closer to another Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts title.
The seven-time provincial champion defeated Kerri Einarson of East St. Paul 9-5 during Saturday night’s Page playoff 1 vs. 1 game in Killarney to advance straight to the final.
Einarson drops to the semifinal to face Winnipeg’s Darcy Robertson for another opportunity to reach the championship game and a rematch against Jones.
The provincial champion will represent Manitoba at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts running Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 in Penticton, B.C.
Watch the Manitoba Scotties semifinal Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE followed by the final at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet East, Ontario, Pacific and Sportsnet ONE.
The 2016 Manitoba champion Einarson, who went 7-0 through the Asham Express Red round-robin pool, opened with the hammer and pulled out to a 2-0 advantage with a single in the second followed by a steal in the third.
Jones, who topped the Asham Black round-robin pool at 6-1, took two in the fourth to tie it and stole a pair in the fifth to swipe a 4-2 lead at the midway mark.
The teams alternated pairs of points in six and seven and split singles in eight and nine as Jones maintained the two-point gap, up 7-5, coming home. Einarson held the hammer in the 10th end, but it was Jones who managed to tack two more on the board.
Meanwhile, Robertson scored a deuce in an extra end to edge Winnipeg’s Joelle Brown 9-7 during the Page playoff 2 vs. 2 game. Robertson posted a 6-1 record in Asham Express Red while Brown finished at 5-2 in Asham Black.
Robertson stunned the 2014 Olympic gold medallist Jones in the Manitoba Scotties semifinals a year ago. It was the first time Jones entered provincials and did not emerge victorious since 2004.
Reigning Manitoba champion Michelle Englot is not defending the title as her Winnipeg-based club has already earned a return trip to nationals as Team Canada. Ottawa’s Rachel Homan beat Englot during last year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts final but had to decline the auto-berth as her team is off to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.