Jones has game in overdrive
PAUL FRIESEN -- Winnipeg Sun
BEAUSEJOUR --If Jennifer Jones and her St. Vital foursome wind up winning this provincial women's curling championship, keep the events of yesterday morning in mind.
Sure, an 8-7 afternoon victory over Connie Laliberte was pretty key, too. After all, it improved Jones's record to a perfect 6-0 going into the weekend.
Simply put, the 2002 champ is on fire right now.
But it was the way Jones beat Shauna Streich of Fort Rouge in her fifth game that should send smoke signals of warning to the rest of the competition.
Four ends into that one, Jones was buried under a pile of granite -- 212 pounds of the stuff, to be exact.
Staring at a five-rock deficit, the sliding solicitor and her teammates -- Karen Porritt, Jill Officer and Lynn Fallis-Kurz -- gathered for a little chat.
What happened next could well be remembered as the defining moment of this championship.
Six ends, seven straight points and an 8-7 victory later, Team Jones had served notice that when it wants to, make that when it absolutely has to, it can. And probably will.
"We sat down after the fourth end," Officer explained later. "And said, 'If we make our shots, we might have a chance. Let's just go out and give it our all.' It was really important. That was a big one."
How big, we won't know until the ice fog settles tomorrow.
But it's clear the momentum of that comeback carried over to yesterday afternoon's tilt against Laliberte, the three-time national champ.
Before most fans in the Sun Gro Centre had even thawed out, Jones had a four-zip lead, and while the Ice Queen fought gamely to get back into it, the potential heir to the throne -- no Manitoban since Laliberte has worn a national women's crown -- would have none of it.
"We just came out and played great from the first end, on," Jones said. "Actually, this is probably as good as we've played. Lynn's made a bunch of ticks, Jill's made double-kills, Karen's made good shots, and I've held other teams to few steals. So we're all making the big shots when we have to."
And when they do miss, they get mad.
There was the let-it-all-hang-out comeback against Streich. And when it appeared Jones was letting Laliberte back into it, her game went into overdrive.
"She had a couple of misses that ticked her right off," Porritt said. "And then made up for it at the end of the game."
With a cross-house double-kill in the eighth end, for example. That three-ring circus shot helped turn a one-point lead into four. And the way these gals are playing, you might as well head straight for the Heart Rock Lounge next door and order your drinks.
"They didn't really leave too much for us to capitalize on," Laliberte would say.
Comeback victim Streich was suitably impressed, too, in her first look at the Jones rink this year.
"I'll tell you, playing them today, I have new respect... no, not even new, but more respect for them," Streich said.
Remember, too, this is a different team than the one which lost last year's provincial final to Barb Spencer.
Officer, who teamed with Jones to win two Manitoba junior titles a decade ago, just joined the team this year. And Porritt took last season off.
Despite the changes, they've clicked.
"If Lynn misses, Jill makes. Karen misses, I'll make," Jones said. "It's just a real team effort out there. It's really the first year this team has played together. Hopefully, we'll get even better."
They may have to.
Because today they'll square off against Lois Fowler, also 6-0, for first place in their pool and an extra life in the playoffs.
No, it doesn't get any easier.
Which seems to be just the way this team likes it.
