An undefeated zones performance gave the Ponoka boys junior curlers a berth at provincials.
Playing at home last weekend, the boys team went into the contest just looking to have a strong performance, explained skip Thomas Crawford.
Coming into the last game against Hunting Hills High School, a win was only secure after the last rock was thrown. While points were close, Ponoka actually had a 6-1 lead after three ends.
“We got a bit away but they took their time coming back up,” explained Crawford.
“When we were five up we were fairly confident.”
It was the first time a team finished at zones undefeated.
Team Crawford was able to hold Hunting Hills by one until the seventh end before running away with the game. At this point Ponoka was ahead 7-5 with the last end being the most important.
Ponoka was able to grab one more point to secure the win at 8-5.
For coach Andrew Jones, while the last game was a little nerve wracking he trusted the team to make the right decisions. He pointed out that the boys played somewhat aggressively until the fourth end before switching to a more defensive style.
Provincials is March 1 to 3 in St. Albert and Ponoka will be playing with seven other teams. There will be two zones with the winner of each one playing in the finals.
Mixed team loss
The junior mixed team had a relatively strong performance with two wins and a loss before heading into a four-end tie breaker.
Skip Karianne Frandsen said the tie breaker game was needed as another team had the same record as Ponoka. A button draw loss for Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School meant Ponoka played them on the Saturday.
Frandsen knew it was going to be a tough game as they lost to the same team the day before. Ponoka ended up losing 7-0.
Her hope was to gain some points but Lindsay Thurber proved to be a challenging team. Despite the loss, there was some growth.
“We came closer as a team and got to know each other a little more,” explained Frandsen.
It was a team-building experience, she added, pointing out that they supported each other regardless of a win or loss.
