Manitoba alone in first place after Draw 12

In the battle of the undefeated teams, it was Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones who hung on to her undefeated record, winning over Rachel Homan 9-7 on Thursday morning at the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Homan and her Ontario team of Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk and Lisa Weagle showed their fearless side, attempting – and making – some big shots, including Homan’s take-out through a tight port that netted Ontario three in the fifth end. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. “We missed a few shots here and there and had a lot of rocks in play, but it was a battle hard for both teams,” said Homan. “We made some big shots, both teams, and missed a few shots, both teams. It came down to the last end, and just a couple of inches here and there.” Jennifer Jones and her team of Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer and Dawn Askin took advantage early, scoring four in the fourth end when Homan’s tap back attempt rolled into the open, leaving Jones an open hit. “There was lots of rocks in play and a lot of really good quality shots,” said Jones. “Back and forth, which is exactly what you want a game to be about. We had the hammer coming home and it worked out for us.” In the only other game of the morning, Heather Nedohin and Team Canada suffered their second loss, ending up on the losing side of a 7-5 score after Jill Shumay of Saskatchewan stole four straight ends. Shumay, who was 4-0 in the round robin before losing three in a row, trailed 5-1 after four ends. But after taking her deuce in five, she and her team of Kara Johnston, Taryn Holtby and Jinaye Ayrey stole singles in the next four ends, forcing errors from last year’s Scotties champions. “We finally played like we can and shot lights out that last half,” said Shumay. “It just feels really good to show everybody that we are a good team.” “She (Nedohin) had really difficult shots,” Shumay said about the stolen ends. “We were putting our rocks in the right places.” With the win, Manitoba remains the only unbeaten team in the round robin, followed by Ontario (7-1), Team Canada (6-2) and Saskatchewan (5-3). As the playoffs approach, the four leaders are being chased by B.C. (4-3), PEI (4-4) and New Brunswick (4-4), all of whom are in action Thursay afternoon as the Scotties continues with draws at 2 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (all times EST). All draws are being broadcast by TSN/RDS, the official broadcast partner of the Season of Champions. Live scoring, statistics and updated standings are available at https://www.curling.ca/championships/scotties/draw-schedule/scores-and-standings/ httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTiSNDl3OOo