UPDATE: SUNDAY, OCT. 2, 12:05 P.M.

It took extra time and an extra end for Ikue Kitazawa to grab the final semifinal spot at the Prestige Hotels and Resorts Curling Classic at the Vernon Curling Club.

Kitazawa forced an extra end with a deuce in the eighth and final regulation end, then stole the winning point to beat countrywoman Satsuki Fujisawa 7-6.

The win avenged a pair of losses to Fujisawa in the Japan Curling Championships in May for Kitazawa, who now faces Edmonton鈥檚 Jesse Hunkin in a women鈥檚 semifinal that was slated to start at 12 p.m.

The playoffs are set at the Prestige Hotels and Resorts Curling Classic at the Vernon Curling Club.

The women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 quarterfinals will kick things off Sunday, Oct. 2, at 9 a.m.

On the women鈥檚 side, Satsuki Fujisawa will face Ikue Kitazawa in an all-Japan matchup. The winner advances to face Jessie Hunkin of Edmonton in the semifinals at 12 p.m.

The other women鈥檚 quarterfinal saw Korea鈥檚 Eun Ji Gim rally from a 3-2 deficit by scoring three in the fourth, then stealing deuces in the sixth and seventh ends for a 9-3 victory over Kayla Skrlik of Calgary.

Gim now plays Corryn Brown of Kamloops in the other women鈥檚 semi.

On the men鈥檚 side, an all-B.C. quarterfinal went to kelowna鈥檚 Brent Pierce, who scored three in the fifth to help put away Sebastien Robillard of Port Coquitlam 8-5. Pierce now faces Riku Yanagisawa of Japan in a 12 p.m. semifinal.

Japan鈥檚 Kohsuke Hirata is playing New Westminster鈥檚 Sean Geall in the other final four matchup. Geal scored three in the final end with hammer to defeat Cameron de Jong鈥檚 Penticton/Vernon rink 6-4 in a Sunday morning quarterfinal.

The de Jong foursome includes Matt Tolley of Penticton at third, and the all-Vernon front end of Erik Colwell at second and John Slattery playing lead.

The championship games in both draws will be at 4 p.m. Sunday.

roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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