Category: Athletics

Skippers Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament at SC4 Fieldhouse

Mackhi Jackson, a 5’11 sophomore guard from North Farmington High School, brings the ball up the court for the Skippers during a game against Lambton College earlier this season.

The Skippers Holiday Classic at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) is being held December 6 and 7 at the SC4 Fieldhouse. The six-team event will feature exciting collegiate basketball action with men’s and women’s teams coming from throughout Michigan and Wisconsin.

Games begin on Friday, December 6 at 2 p.m. and continue through Saturday evening. The full schedule is below:

Friday, December 6

2:00 p.m. – Glen Oaks vs. Oakland (Women)

4:00 p.m. – Glen Oaks vs. Oakland (Men)

6:00 p.m. – Milwaukee Area Tech vs. SC4 (Women)

8:00 p.m. – Milwaukee Area Tech vs. SC4 (Men)

Saturday, December 7

11:00 a.m. – Oakland vs. Milwaukee Area Tech (Women)

1:00 p.m. – Oakland vs. Milwaukee Are Tech (Men)

3:00 p.m. – Glen Oaks vs. SC4 (Women)

5:00 p.m. – Glen Oaks vs. SC4 (Men)

Skippers center #13 Mackenzie Royal-Davis, a 5’ 11” freshman from Toledo, scores a bucket during the Thumbcoast Tip-off tournament.

Both Skippers teams are ranked as two of the best in the nation, with the men’s team entering the weekend at #10 and the women’s team coming in as the #12 ranked team in the U.S.

“Both Skippers teams are off to a great start. They have earned national recognition by beating some of the best teams in America,” said Dale Vos, Director of Athletics at SC4. “This weekend will be a great opportunity to see our teams in action against some good competition at the SC4 Fieldhouse as they get ready for the league season following the holiday break.”

The Skippers Holiday Classic tickets are $8 per day, which includes access to multiple games daily. Senior citizens receive free admission to the games.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/Senior Vice President, at srutallie@sc4.edu or 810-989-5545

SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off thrills participants, fans in first year at SC4 Fieldhouse

A large building on a city street at night. The building has a banner above the door that reads "fieldhouse". The building has a high tower and the top is illuminated by blue lights.

CCBC Essex defeated Harcum College 81-65 Saturday night, wrapping up a three-day celebration of women’s basketball in the championship game of the SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off at St. Clair County Community College. 

Teams from as far east as Rossville, Md., and as far west as Mesa, Ariz., traveled to the SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, to play in the inaugural event, which featured eight of the best junior college women’s basketball teams in the country. 

They provided 12 thrilling games for fans in attendance while facing elite non-conference competition and getting a one-of-a-kind student-athlete experience. 

“Our aim was to bring a high-level showcase for women’s college basketball and community college athletics to downtown Port Huron, and with the help of the community, SC4 staff and the amazing student-athletes and coaches who took the court this weekend, that was accomplished,” SC4 President Kirk Kramer said. “We strive to give our students the best possible education, but also an excellent college experience, and events such as this are a big part of that.” 

Half the field entered the tournament ranked in the top 10 of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II rankings — No. 3 Mesa Community College, No. 4 CCBC Essex, No. 6 Lake Land College and No. 8 Mid Michigan College — while two others were in the top 25, including host SC4 (16) and finalist Harcum (22). 

Most of these teams will not see each other again, at least not until the NJCAA Division II championships in March, where all eight strive to finish their seasons. All eight are certainly capable of doing just that, and this weekend went a long way toward helping them accomplish that goal. 

“This tournament was an amazing experience for us,” Lansing coach Megan Hudson said. “SC4 is an amazing host. The venue is beautiful, the tournament was exactly what we need at this point in the season. Our competition was top-notch – nationally-ranked teams – and it’s going to get us prepared for March and obviously our conference run. I couldn’t have been more excited about the experience to be here, and I’m so proud of how my girls battled.” 

Teams opened the week with a banquet and a keynote address from Juliene Brazinski Simpson, co-captain of the 1976 USA Women’s Olympic Basketball Team, and a member of the Naismith, Women’s Basketball and Polish American Sports halls of fame.  

Simpson provided each coach with an autographed basketball, and each player with a picture that included a personalized message and autograph. 

That – and the great competition – wasn’t all that teams received. Each team had a member of the community serve as their team host, players were given motivational post cards with the turn down service in their hotel rooms, as well as SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off towels and decals.  

Teams were given the option to create hype videos, which were played on the SC4 Fieldhouse jumbotrons during introductions and at times during the games. They also had complimentary laundry service from Troy Cleaners.  

“It was great, this town is really nice,” Lake Land College sophomore guard Charleece Davis said. “Everyone here is friendly, and it was a good experience. I definitely recommend other teams to come here.” 

What They’re Saying 

CCBC Essex coach Mike Seney: “This is my third year coming to Port Huron, to (SC4), and every year I feel like the staff here out-does itself with the tournament. I told (SC4 Director of Athletics Dale Vos) I thought it was a real hurt piece that the national tournament isn’t here anymore, because the way this tournament is run, it’s been run like a national tournament. Just to be out here in this environment is amazing.” 

Mid Michigan Coach Lance Maney: “St. Clair always does a really nice job hosting their stuff. They had the national tournament here two years ago and it was really well run, and they do a really nice job creating excitement about Juco basketball. This is fun for the players, what more could you ask for. It’s also exciting to play teams from out of state. We have a lot of good teams in Michigan, and we get to see them a lot, but when you get to see some teams that are ranked from different states and see what that looks like, that’s also exciting.” 

Harcum Sophomore Guard Kelsey Bess: “I think it’s good for our team, because we know what we’re capable of early (in the season). So, when we go back home, we can just build on top of it and be ready for when March comes.” 

Edison State Coach Tim McMahon: “I loved it, I think it’s great. I want to do it again next year. I think it’s wonderful. I told (the Edison State players) in the locker room, we’re going to see these teams, and if we want to get to the next level, we have to get through these teams. So, you might as well see them in November so you’re ready for them in February and March.” 

Mesa Coach Kori Stephenson: “The experience was awesome. The hospitality was awesome. The way SC4 just ran this whole tournament, just everything, all the details outside of the game, it was just really easy as a coach to manage. So, hat’s off to them and hopefully they can continue to run this tournament, because they do an outstanding job.” 

Lake Land Coach David Johnson: “I can’t say enough about the hospitality. This has been a first-class tournament from the get-go. (SC4 Director of Athletics Dale Vos) and the entire SC4 staff made us feel so welcome. They’ve taken care of all the little things that are great. They’ve done so much for our players. They have a place for them to hang out, food for them. They get a souvenir. They had a great banquet. How often do you meet (an Olympic) medal winner?” 

SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off Final Results 

Thursday, Nov. 14: 

Friday, Nov. 15: 

Saturday, Nov. 16: 

SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off By The Numbers 

Four Top 10 teams participating: No. 3 Mesa Community College, No. 4 CCBC Essex, No. 6 Lake Land College and No. 8 Mid Michigan College 

Six Top 25 teams participating: The four previously mentioned teams, plus No. 16 St. Clair County Community College and No. 22 Harcum College 

Three matchups between Top 10 teams: Mesa vs. Mid Michigan, CCBC Essex vs. Lake Land, and Lake Land vs. Mesa 

31 points: Highest single-game scoring output by a player, scored by SC4 teammates Bailey Gormley vs. Mid Michigan and Bre Jefferson vs. Lansing  

77 points: Highest point total in the tournament by a player, scored by SC4 freshman guard Bre Jefferson 

4,315 miles: Traveled by the seven visiting teams, with Mesa traveling the farthest at 2,056 miles 

St Clair County Community College (SC4) was founded in 1923 and is the only public higher education institution in the thumb of Michigan. SC4 is a comprehensive community college that provides certificates and degrees for employable skills and college credits that can be transferred to a four-year college or university. The college provides collegiate arts and athletics for the area and has been an asset for students and the Port Huron community for over one hundred years.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/ Senior Vice President, SC4, at srutallie@sc4.edu

No. 16 Skippers defeat Lansing to take 5th at SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off

A Female basketball player with "skippers" on her jersey dribbling down the court. Another player with "stars" on her jersey is trying to block her.

The St. Clair County Community College women’s basketball team closed the SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off on a high note Saturday, defeating Lansing Community College 70-68 in the tournament’s fifth-place game at the SC4 Fieldhouse. 

Bre Jefferson scored 31 points to lead the No. 16 Skippers, who finished the inaugural event with a 2-1 record and wins over two of the top teams in Michigan. 

“In the first game, we had to come back. In the second game, we had to come back and hit a shot to win, and today we had to preserve (a lead),” SC4 coach Mike Groulx said. “So each game brought its different challenges and opportunities. I thought our three freshmen who start for us grew up tremendously this weekend. They’re starting to learn how to be college guards, and it’s awesome to see.” 

The Skippers played three one-possession games in the tournament, and saw two ranked teams – No. 22 Harcum College and No. 8 Mid Michigan College – and a team in Lansing that was receiving votes in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association Division II rankings. 

“I think we grew as a team tremendously,” Jefferson said. “The first game, you could see where we had times where we were like falling apart. But the next two games we just came together and knew that if we stayed together, we would grow up.” 

Jefferson made quite a statement in the tournament, finishing with 77 points in three games. She’s now fifth in the country in points per game at 25.9. Jefferson also grabbed 10 rebounds in the victory. 

Her teammate Baily Gormley also had a big weekend, going for 11 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday, about 24 hours after she had scored 31 in the win against Mid Michigan. Jakyra McCarty added eight points off the bench for SC4. 

Kara Bartels led a balanced effort for Lansing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Laia Albas-Ferrer added 16 points, while Brianna Clark had 15 and Ellie Humble had 10. 

SC4 led Saturday’s game by as much as 15 midway through the third quarter, but the Stars answered with a 12-0 run to tighten up the game in the fourth quarter, holding the Skippers scoreless for 5:02 of game time. 

A skippers female basketball player holding the ball away from another player that is guarding her.

“I’m so proud of how hard my girls battled,” Lansing coach Megan Hudson said. “Even in this game, we got down a bit and we fought right back. Some end of game things we need to clean up – unlucky timeout timing, some execution on some plays, some free throws. You can always say what if, but I’m just so proud of how hard my girls battled, and I’m just very thankful for this experience.” 

Hudson’s enjoyment of the tournament was a universal feeling among those participating, and Groulx feels it can continue to be a showcase for the sport and SC4 in the future. 

“I think it’s been awesome for women’s basketball,” Groulx said. “I think it’s been awesome for Division II community college in general. I think everybody here has had something positive to say about how much they like it.” 

No. 16 SC4 70, Lansing 68 (Box Score) 

The SC4 ThumbCoast Tip-Off is presented by SC4 along with Discover the Blue, and is sponsored by McLaren Port Huron, LiUNA Local 1075, SEMCO Energy, Troy Cleaners, DoubleTree Port Huron, Standard Office Supply, Buffalo Wild Wings, All-Star Services, ThumbCoast Realty, LLC, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, Earl Smith Distributing Co., 4Sports, Body Armor and Casey’s. 

St Clair County Community College (SC4) was founded in 1923 and is the only public higher education institution in the thumb of Michigan. SC4 is a comprehensive community college that provides certificates and degrees for employable skills and college credits that can be transferred to a four-year college or university. The college provides collegiate arts and athletics for the area and has been an asset for students and the Port Huron community for over one hundred years.   

ThumbCoast Tip-Off Results/Schedule 

Thursday: 

  • Game 1: Lake Land 64, Edison State 58 
  • Game 2: CCBC Essex 90, Lansing 73 
  • Game 3: Mesa 64, Mid Michigan 56 
  • Game 4: Harcum 64, SC4 61 

Friday: 

  • Game 5: Lansing 79, Edison State 52 
  • Game 6: SC4 85, Mid Michigan 84 
  • Game 7: CCBC Essex 68, Lake Land 58 
  • Game 8: Harcum 54, Mesa 52 

Saturday: 

  • Seventh-Place Game: Mid Michigan 84, Edison State 66 
  • Fifth-Place Game: SC4 70, Lansing 68 
  • Third-Place Game: Lake Land vs. Mesa, 4 p.m. 
  • Championship Game: CCBC Essex vs. Harcum, 6 p.m. 

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/Senior Vice President, SC4, at srutallie@sc4.edu 

Last-second shot lifts No. 16 Skippers to SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off win over No. 8 Mid Michigan 

Female basketball player with a skippers jersey running during a game.

­Iliana Williams hit a go-ahead jumper with 2 seconds remaining Friday to lift the St. Clair County Community College women’s basketball team to a dramatic 85-84 victory against Mid Michigan College in the consolation round of the inaugural SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off at the SC4 Fieldhouse. 

“I was really nervous, but I was saying in my head before the play even started, ‘If I catch the ball, I’m going to shoot it. And it’s going to go in,’” Williams said. “That’s what I was saying to myself. I was ready to catch it and shoot it. When it went in, I was really, really hype and I just wanted to go hug my teammates.” 

The clutch bucket sends the No. 16 Skippers to the fifth-place game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Lansing Community College. No. 8 Mid Michigan will play Edison State in the seventh-place game at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the Fieldhouse. 

Bailey Gormley led all scorers with 31 points for the Skippers and came up with the game-sealing steal on Mid Michigan’s final inbound play. She also had 11 rebounds. Bre Jefferson added 21 points for the Skippers, while Sylver Bowles and Williams each had 10. Williams added six rebounds, and Mackenzie Royal-Davis had eight points and eight rebounds. 

Female skippers basketball player during a game. Her hands are up to receive a pass.

Mid Michigan was led by Paige Ebels, who scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. Rachel Resio added 19 points, and Chloe Watson had nine points and six rebounds.   

With the win, SC4 now has a top 10 victory under its belt, and has played in one-possession games in each of the first two nights of the SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off tournament. Those are the big moments coach Mike Groulx hopes can help get his team back to national prominence. 

“I talk to these girls about our history here with me as a head coach – we went to back-to-back national Final Fours, my only three years as a head coach we won the league title, we went to three straight national tournaments and we were ranked top 5 in the nation each year,” Groulx said. “These girls put on that jersey to live in that legacy and restore that tradition here. They know what they signed up for, and they know what wearing Skippers across their chest means. Now, we got a lot of work to do, we’re nowhere near where we need to be, but the competitiveness in the second half showed that we’re taking strides in the right direction.” 

Two female basketball players during a game. Their jerseys read "lakers" and "skippers". The players with a "skippers" jersey is trying to block the player with a "lakers" jersey from running past.

It was also the second straight night the Skippers erased a large deficit. While they came just short of completing the comeback on Thursday against Harcum College, they not only fully came back from 17 down against the Lakers, but also a six-point deficit in the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds. 

“I think it shows the love we have for this sport,” Williams said. “We just need to start the game stronger instead of having to claw our way back late in the game. But we are a great team, and I’m really proud of all my teammates.” 

No. 16 SC4 85, No. 8 Mid Michigan 84 (Box Score) 

The SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off is presented by SC4 along with Discover the Blue, and is sponsored by McLaren Port Huron, LiUNA Local 1075, SEMCO Energy, Troy Cleaners, DoubleTree Port Huron, Standard Office Supply, Buffalo Wild Wings, All-Star Services, ThumbCoast Realty, LLC, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, Earl Smith Distributing Co., 4Sports, Body Armor and Casey’s. 

A group of female basketball players, waiting to catch a rebound from a free throw. Five players are shown with their jerseys saying either "skippers" or "lakers".

St Clair County Community College (SC4) was founded in 1923 and is the only public higher education institution in the thumb of Michigan. SC4 is a comprehensive community college that provides certificates and degrees for employable skills and college credits that can be transferred to a four-year college or university. The college provides collegiate arts and athletics for the area and has been an asset for students and the Port Huron community for over one hundred years.   

Thumb Coast Tip Off Results/Schedule 

Thursday: 

  • Game 1: Lake Land 64, Edison State 58 
  • Game 2: CCBC Essex 90, Lansing 73 
  • Game 3: Mesa 64, Mid Michigan 56 
  • Game 4: Harcum 64, SC4 61 

Friday: 

  • Game 5: Lansing 79, Edison State 52 
  • Game 6: SC4 85, Mid Michigan 84 
  • Game 7: Lake Land vs. CCBC Essex, 5 p.m. 
  • Game 8: Mesa vs. Harcum, 7 p.m. 

Saturday: 

  • Seventh-Place Game: Edison State vs. Mid Michigan, noon 
  • Fifth-Place Game: Lansing vs. SC4, 2 p.m. 
  • Third-Place Game: Loser of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8, 4 p.m. 
  • Championship Game: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 6 p.m. 

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/Senior Vice President, SC4, at srutallie@sc4.edu