Alberta’s Selena Sturmay is on to the semifinal of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after defeating Nova Scotia’s Christina Black 8-4 in the Page 3/4 playoff Saturday.
Canada’s Kerri Einarson and Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes will play each other in the Page 1/2 playoff later Saturday.
The winner of the Einarson-Lawes game will advance directly to the tournament’s final.
The loser of the 1/2 Page playoff will face Sturmay in Sunday afternoon’s semifinal.
Black has had one of the best seasons of her career, finishing second at the Olympic curling trials
Tied 2-2 after five ends and with Black holding hammer, her draw shot kissed a guard but curled ever so slightly toward the button. Sturmay’s remaining rock and Black’s final throw were so close the measuring stick had to come out to confirm that Alberta had made the steal.
Black answered in the seventh, with a double takeout to score a deuce and take a 4-3 lead. That was a short-lived advantage, with Sturmay scoring three after Black came up short in her final throw of the eighth end.
Sturmay stole another point in the ninth and had her win sealed when Black failed to make a tricky double takeout with the final throw of the game.