John Morris beats defending champion Kevin Koe to open Tour Challenge

CRANBROOK, B.C. – John Morris scored three in the seventh end to open the game up and beat defending champion Kevin Koe of Calgary 8-4 on Tuesday night at the Grand Slam of Curling Tour Challenge.

Morris, of Vernon, B.C., got out to an early 3-0 lead after two ends but Koe came back to tie it after four.

Morris would score a deuce in the fifth with Koe replying for a single in the sixth. The two sides shook hands after Morris had three in the seventh.

Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers scored a deuce in the eighth to edge Edmonton’s Charley Thomas 7-6 in the other men’s draw on Tuesday.

In women’s action, Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., drew a single in the seventh and two more in the eighth to get past Edmonton’s Val Sweeting 7-5.

Kelsey Rocque of Edmonton scored three in both the first and fifth ends in an 8-2 rout of Japan’s Ayumi Ogasawara. Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., had four in the seventh to beat Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 9-3.