North America gets another curling victory in Las Vegas

This year’s Continental Cup didn’t have the same amount of suspense as last year, but in the end, the result was the same.

A year ago, the Continental Cup came down to the last stone, the closest finish in the history of the tournament as North America squeaked out at 30.5-29.5 victory.

This year’s tournament,also held at the Orleans Arena, officially wrapped up Sunday night with a 37-23 victory for North America.

“It was a contribution from both countries,” North America’s Reid Carruthers said. “At the start, the Americans didn’t get off to the start they wanted, but then they finished playing really well and adding some key points late in the event, which sealed the deal for us.”

Carruthers, actually, was the one who officially sealed the win Sunday night with a spectacular double takeout.

“I was lucky. I got to throw the same shot again, and it was about not overthrowing it,” Carruthers said. “I got to really throw just the same one, so don’t overthink it and just let the boys sweep it right, and they did.”

Carruthers’ shot prompted a brief break in the action so the North Americans could celebrate their fifth consecutive victory, three of which have come in Las Vegas.

“It’s special to be playing an event like this in front of such a great crowd, and the fans never disappoint us here, so (the crowd) erupted and we jumped up and down and everyone was very excited about it,” North America’s Kaitlyn Lawes said.

The North Americans took command of the event on Saturday, sweeping the afternoon’s three games and winning two at night to give them a sizable lead.

After losing the first draw on Thursday morning, North America won eight of the next nine draws heading into Sunday night’s action. The only event they didn’t win ended in a tie.

“We knew we had our work cut out for us,” Lawes said. “It’s nerve wracking, and you never want to disappoint your other teammates that you’re playing for, and it’s just a great event.”

The four-day event drew 52,753 fans for the 11 draws, making it the second-best attended curling event in the United States behind last year’s Continental Cup.

“It’s been fantastic. People came enthusiastically,” event manager Jon Killoran said. “As a matter of fact, one of our largest attendances was Thursday morning right out the gate, and it stayed solid and consistent all week long, and again (we had) a pretty nicely packed house today to watch the final and crown the champion for 2017.”

With the victory, the North Americans will pocket $52,000 Cdn ($39,575), with $2,000 going to each member, including captain and coach, while the World team took home $26,000.

North America also won a $13,000 Cdn bonus for earning the most points in the six skins competitions.

Now, Las Vegas turns its attention to the World Men’s Curling Championship, which will take place at the Orleans Arena next spring.

“This is the sprint, a four-day event — that’s going to be a nine-day marathon,” Killoran said. “We already have a meeting Tuesday with our organizing committee for a few hours to really start really the countdown of 15 months until we reach that event.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.