Smith, Gamble lead No. 4 CCBC Essex to win over Lansing at SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off

Written by: Paul Costanzo

PORT HURON, Mich. -- Paige Smith and Gissel "Gigi" Gamble combined for 55 points Thursday to lead No. 4 CCBC Essex to a 90-73 victory against Lansing Community College in the opening round of the Thumbcoast Tip-Off women's basketball tournament at St. Clair County Community College.

Gamble had 29 points and Smith had 26 to go along with 12 rebounds for the Knights, who had to work through all four quarters at the SC4 Fieldhouse to put away a feisty LCC team.

"I just think we all played together and played hard as a whole team," Smith said. "We just never stopped fighting. This was a good, disciplined team that we played against, so we just knew that we had to do the little things and just play together the whole entire time."

Essex advances to Friday's semifinal against No. 6 Lake Land College at 5 p.m., while Lansing will meet Edison State Community College at 1 p.m.in the consolation bracket. All games are played at the Fieldhouse in downtown Port Huron.

For the Knights, the Fieldhouse is a welcome sight, as it's where they won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national championship in 2023.

"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," Essex coach Mike Seney said. "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."

Essex (Rossville, Md.) seemed right at home Thursday on its way to victory, specifically in the middle two quarters when it out-scored Lansing 53-32 to break the game open. During those quarters, the Knights shot 11-of-21 (52.4%) from 3-point range. For the game, they had more 3-point attempts (45) than 2-point attempts (42).

"I told you if you love good ball, you're going to love us," Seney said. "I hope I kept that promise."

Anylah Davis added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench for Essex, which led by as many as 22 points early in the fourth quarter.

LCC did claw back to within nine at one point, though, as it shot 7-of-14 (50%) from the field in the final 10 minutes.

"If we make layups and free throws, we win that game," Lansing coach Megan Hudson said. "We missed 10 free throws, and I thought our defensive effort was amazing. I feel like we shredded their press, but then we were struggling to execute on offense, and then we struggled (with Essex's offensive rebounding), they had 20 offensive rebounds on us. A few little things to clean up, but giving the No. 4 team in the country a game like that, I'm really proud."

Ellie Humble led Lansing with 28 points, grabbing six rebounds. Brianna Clark added 16 points and five boards, while Kara Bartels had 10 points.

"If we were able to get some extra rebounds, I think it would have been a closer game and we would have had a chance," Humble said. "Although, I'm very proud of how we played. We battled, no matter what, so I'm very proud of my team."

No. 4 CCBC Essex 90, Lansing Community College 73 (Box Score)

The 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.  

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

Thumb Coast Tip Off Results/Schedule

Thursday:

• Game 1: Lake Land 64, Edison State 58
• Game 2: CCBC Essex 90, Lansing 73
• Game 3: Mid-Michigan vs. Mesa, 5 p.m.
• Game 4: SC4 vs. Harcum

Friday:

• Game 5: Edison State vs. Lansing, 1 p.m.
• Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 3 p.m.
• Game 7: Lake Land vs. CCBC Essex, 5 p.m.
• Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m.

Saturday:

• Seventh-Place Game: Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, noon
• Fifth-Place Game: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 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.