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KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. After struggling a little to make the final game, Koe emerged with his second Canadian mens curling championship, after a dominating 10-5 win over John Morris and British Columbia. "Thats the way we kind of do it sometimes," Koe said. "We cant seem to get firing on all cylinders all the time." Koe could have finished first at the Tim Hortons Brier this week but he lost his last round-round game to Quebec and created a three-way tie for top spot with B.C. and Manitoba. The tiebreaking formula gave B.C. hammer and choice of rocks in the 1-2 Page playoff game, which they won. Koe then had to play Quebec again, after they beat Manitoba in the 3-4 game to get into the final. Hes used to it, since he had to fight even harder to win his first title in 2010 when he came up from the 3-4 game. Alberta capitalized on B.C.s mistakes to score three big three-enders. If not for the needs of television, the handshakes would likely have come in eight but they played nine ends. It was a crushing end to a Cinderella week for Kamloops native son Jim Cotter, who throws fourth stones for B.C. and had been solid all week but made some of those mistakes that cost his team the game Sunday. "Jimmy had some uncharacteristic misses there and we were fortunate and when it did happen, we really capitalized," said Koe. "The first three was the big one." The numbers told the tale. Koe shot 92 per cent, Cotter 82 and B.C. skip and third stone Morris was at 72 per cent. "We just missed a couple of too many shots early," said Morris. "We were just a little bit fooled by the ice." This is the second loss in the big game in four months for the Morris-Cotter rink. They also lost the final at the Olympic trials to Brad Jacobs in December in Winnipeg. "Whether its in front of your home fans or in front of Winnipeg fans or wherever, its no fun," said Cotter. "Obviously you want to win, but thats curling, thats the way it goes. "They were bang on. They were making everything. Its tough to come back from that." As for what the future holds, he couldnt say. "I really havent thought too much about the future. . . I guess over the next few weeks or what not well reflect a little bit and kind of see where things are at and go from there." Uncertainty also hangs over Alberta, which, with the win, is now only one behind Manitobas record 27 Brier victories. Second Carter Rycroft, whose wife is pregnant, has said hes taking a year off curling and the win didnt change his mind. He was also named the most valuable player and shot 96 per cent in the final game. "This is it as far as me not curling next year," he said emphatically. Koe doesnt know what he future holds either. "I dont know what will happen with that, we havent talked about it, we havent even thought about," he said. "Nows the time to celebrate this win and well look forward to (being) Team Canada (at the world championship) in China and whatever happens, happens." Canadian Curling Association rules require that Team Canada retain at least three players to return to the Brier. Next year in Calgary is the first year Team Canada will automatically get a berth in the Brier. Its also the first year the bottom finishers will have to play their way in. Over the last three years, thats Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, as well as new entrants Nunavut and a separate Yukon team. The Brier went well for B.C. until Sunday night, although they finished in a three-way 9-2 tie with Manitoba and Alberta at the top of he round robin. They beat Alberta in the 1-2 game to move straight to the final and opened well with a deuce in the first end, setting the sellout home-town crowd into a frenzy. But Alberta responded with a three in the second end after Morris was heavy and rolled through. Cotter did the same thing in four when he flashed on a freeze attempt, had to draw for one and accomplished that only by a slim margin. In five, with rocks scattered around the 12, Cotter lost his shooter, letting Koe gently tap a B.C. rock back to score another three. A final three in the sixth end made it 9-4. Earlier in the day, Manitobas Jeff Stoughton took the bronze medal winning 9-5 in nine ends after scoring two in the first and stealing two in the second on a missed Quebec runback. But both Stoughton and Quebec skip Jean-Michel Menard said it was a game they dont even think should be part of the Brier. "Ill try to be nice, but this game shouldnt exist," said Menard. "Its useless." Dan Bailey Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Custom Cowboys Jersey . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. http://www.cowboysproshopus.com/Womens-Andrew-Gach...ys-Jers ey/ . JOHNS, N. Lael Collins Jersey . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Doug Free Cowboys Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety.OKLAHOMA CITY - Prior to Sundays game - a game no rational person expected them to be competitive in, let alone win - Raptors coach Dwane Casey spoke about his teams newfound mental toughness. "I like the toughness factor in certain situations where last year and two years ago wed get bumped, get hit [and] wouldnt respond," Casey said an hour and a half before facing the league-best Thunder, a team that hadnt yet lost at home. "Weve grown up from that standpoint and learning how to win is huge." To suggest that Casey was foreshadowing is giving him too much credit. He couldnt have known or genuinely expected what was about to happen. No one did. But he was on to something. This is a different Raptors team than the one Casey was referring to, the one that would cower from adversity in years past. They were supposed to go winless on this exceptionally difficult Western Conference road swing. Instead, theyve won their first two games. “Im seeing it growing," Casey said of his teams resiliency after shocking the hosting Thunder, 104-98, winning four straight on the road for the first time since 2002. "It was one of those things where our guys fought through it and we could have folded or packed it in but they stuck with it and stuck together most of all and didnt fall apart." He called it their best win of the season, which is a given. To take it one step further, it was the Raptors most impressive victory of the three-year Casey era and for all the criticism Torontos coach takes, he had his fingerprints all over it. Casey earned his pay check Sunday evening. He didnt sit down, he didnt relax. He couldnt, not against this team. The Raptors got off to a quick start but withstood the inevitable counterpunch, they rose above spotty officiating and stood their ground when they needed to the most. Through it all Casey was manic on the sidelines. "Sit down Coach," a Thunder fan behind the Raptors bench kept yelling. He didnt. The Raptors were coming off an impressive win in Dallas, defeating a Mavericks team that was 11-2 at home on Friday. The Thunder, winners of nine straight and 17 of 18 overall, were perfect in 13 games at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Toronto threw the first punch and led by six at the break. They were "the aggressor," as Casey puts it, and they paid for it. The Thunder had attempted 22 free throws at the half, making them all, while Toronto shot just 10. That trend continued into the third when, finally the lopsided officiating began to seep into the psyche of a young team that has never been known for their mental resolve. A nine-point lead early in the third quarter turned into a nine-point deficit going into a fourth. Collectively Raptors fans thought, here we go again. The Thunder were fighting back - as we expected - and the Raptors couldnt catch a break from the officials. They missed 17 of 19 field goal attempts to end the frame. Thats when something seemed different. They didnt run, they didnt hide, they hit right back. For that, Casey and his players unanimously credited the work of veteran newcomer John Salmons. "I thought John Salmons maturity came through," Casey said of the reserve forward, who scored nine of his 14 playing the entire fourth quarter.dddddddddddd "He has a settling effect when hes in the game and it helps us. It rubs off on DeMar and Terrence. He doesnt get rattled." "John Salmons, I mean give him the game ball, offensively and defensively," added Kyle Lowry. "Just, here, take the ball. He was a big-time player tonight." For the second straight game Salmons came up big when it mattered most. On Friday he slowed down Monta Ellis and two days later he was a big part of the brigade that frustrated Kevin Durant, holding him to 24 points on 5-of-16 shooting, 1-of-6 in the fourth, and forcing his six turnovers. A 12-year vet, Salmons was an afterthought in the seven-player deal that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento earlier this month. He was - and probably is - a temporary Raptor, a contract that can be moved at the deadline or easily bought out in the offseason. A day after the trade was finalized, he stood in front of the local media without much in the way of emotion or excitement, complaining about being tired from the trip. He has brought more to this team than anyone could have expected. "Im not a rah-rah guy at all but Ive been around for a long time," he said. "Ive experienced a lot so I just try to give my advice when I can." Taking the lead of Salmons, his teammates remained even-keeled when things looked to be going south. Nobody panicked. They executed and made good decisions, the right plays down the stretch. "Weve done a great job of just everyone cheering for each other, supporting each other and nobodys getting their head down," said Lowry, who continues to play the best basketball of his career, leading the team with 22 points and nine assists on Sunday. "Everyones focusing on winning the game no matter how bleak it looks." DeRozan played well, scoring 17 points against a tough defender in Thabo Sefolosha, someone who has given him fits in the past and once again, Amir Johnson was the unsung hero. Johnson - who recorded a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds - made some crucial defensive plays down the stretch, switching off on Durant and swatting a Russell Westbrook floater in the final two minutes of the game. "I cant [say enough], theres too much to say about him," Lowry said, or attempted to say about Johnson. "Hes just an unbelievable player. He had his struggles (early in the season) but we all said hell be alright once he finds his groove. And look at him, hes playing unbelievable. He guarded Kevin Durant as tough as he did and the other night he guarded Dirk (Nowitzki) as tough as he did. You just have to tip your hat to him." Back atop the Atlantic Division, the Raptors play their final game before a three-day Christmas break in San Antonio on the second night of a back-to-back Monday. The Spurs have the third-best record in the West and are 9-3 at home. The Raptors are not supposed to win. Care to bet against them? Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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