PORT HURON, MI. - 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 Bailey 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. 

 

"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."