B.C.’s Kelly Scott is, indeed, back!

Kelly Scott is back in familiar territory. The diminutive British Columbia skip remained the last of the undefeated at the Scotties Tournament Of Hearts on Monday morning after topping previously unbeaten defending champion Amber Holland’s Team Canada unit 7-5.

Kelly Scott tosses a rock at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. (Photo by Andrew Klaver)

It was a wild and not particular well-played affair during which Scott could have been away to races completely at the half until a couple of roundhouse Holland shots resulted in a three-ender and a tie game. After that, matters were tight to the 10th end with Scott leading by one and Holland in possession of last rock. Her choice there was an open in-turn draw to the four-foot for a tie and an extra end or a big-weight thin double for two and the win. It was the same type of shot Holland connected with on Sunday to defeat Alberta’s Heather Nedohin. But this time it didn’t come off. Holland actually hit the top rock too thin and missed the second stone to yield a stolen point.(Continued Below…) Draw 6 Photos
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“When the shot is there to win it, sometimes you just have to play it,” said Holland afterward. “The shot had the same degree of difficulty as the other one (vs. Alberta) I think. I was confident with it and I threw it really good. I thought I was right there. Maybe we should have taken a little less ice. “Those decisions are matters of feeling. Especially in that game and the way the momentum went in that game. Sometimes it’s just nice to win on the last shot.” Scott, meanwhile, cadged a bonus on the day — regular third Sasha Carter was bedridden and the British Columbia team was icing a makeshift lineup with alternate Sherry Fraser playing second. “We thought it was food poisoning, now it looks like the ‘flu,” said Scott of Carter’s malady. “A lot of our family and friends seem to have it today. I have to get five hours of sleep this afternoon myself. We’ll see how it all turns out tonight.” Scott’s next foe is Nova Scotia’s Heather Smith-Dacey on the late shift. “I hope she (Carter) will be able to have some food in her belly the time we get back here.”(Continued Below…) Draw 6 Media Scrum

The Kelowna skip said she was gobsmacked when Holland unleashed her shots in the fifth end which squared the account. “When Amber stuck it behind a wall of guards there, my thought was that, between Ontario yesterday and Amber today, we were getting a lot of highlight-reel stuff thrown at us. But we just have to park it and keep digging.” In one other morning game, Edmonton’s Nedohin stole a vital deuce in the fourth end for a 4-1 lead against Ontario rookie Tracy Horgan of Sudbury, then persevered and stole three more points en route to an 8-4 win. “I think we were rewarded a little more,” said Nedohin. “When we got a break we were able to capitalize in this game. “Honestly, I like what I see with my team when I see what’s coming at me. Our communication is strong, our sweeping is strong, our shotmaking is strong, as a whole we’re making a lot of shots and that’s the objective.” Overall, the feature game could have best been termed sloppy. “We weren’t throwing them as well as usual,” said Holland. “Even up and down the line, all of us just didn’t have the crispness we’d had in the previous three games. Especially myself, I know I wasn’t throwing as crisp as I normally do. That leaves you struggling with reading the ice and having a comfort level with that.” In Draw Seven today at 1:30 p.m. MT, New Brunswick plays the Territories, Nova Scotia takes on Quebec, P.E.I. plays Saskatchewan and four-time champion Jennifer Jones of Manitoba squares off with Newfoundland/Labrador’s Heather Strong.