The British Columbia U18 Curling Championships were held last weekend, and as reported in the Bulletin, there is a Kimberley connection on the girls team skipped by Jaelyn Cotter. Kaila Buchy joined the team at third this season.
The combination has proved to be a winning one, as the Cotter team took the provincial final with a 6-5 win over Team Taylor at the Salmon Arm Curling Club last Sunday.
Skip Cotter bounced back from a 2-1 deficit after two ends with a key steal of one in the sixth and added a deuce in the eighth and final end to give her and her Vernon Curling Club teammates of third Kaila Buchy, second Katelyn McGillivray, lead Cassidy Schwaerzle and coach Jim Cotter the victory.
Jensen Taylor’s Royal City/Tunnel Town team, consisting of third Cole Meredith, second Keira McCoy, lead Chelsea Taylor and coaches Brian Cole and Suzanne Malfair, had recorded a deuce in the seventh, but couldn’t hang on.
Cotter had also defeated Taylor 7-4 in the Page 1-2 game courtesy of six points over the final three ends, including four points from steals.
The team, joined by Boys winner Dawson Ballard from Coquitlam, now head east to the Under 18 Canadians April 9 - 14 in St Andrews, New Brunswick.