A.V., PALMDALE MIGHT HAVE GOLDEN TOUCH; FALCONS MUST OVERCOME DISADVANTAGE IN HEIGHT.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

Antelope Valley High and Palmdale figure to be the teams to beat in Golden League basketball this season.

Antelope Valley, having graduated key scorers Le'Tre Kelly and Ziaire Williams (both at Antelope Valley College), will count on balance and teamwork, according to coach Tom Mahan.

Seniors Roger Price and Josh Speaks return. Price, a 6-foot-4 forward, averaged four points and three rebounds last year. He figures to be a top inside player. Speaks, a 6-0 guard, averaged four points as a reserve but should be a main threat. He's athletic and a good leaper.

``Josh really has high-scoring potential,'' Mahan said.

Tez Brown, a 6-6 senior transfer from Antelope Valley Christian, will play center. Mahan says Brown is a coachable, hard worker with long arms.

The X-factor could be Joe Manning, a 6-0 senior still playing football. Manning is the school's No. 1 athlete who lit it up for 35, 38 and 42 points his last three games on the junior varsity last year.

``Joe was hitting 3-pointers like crazy,'' Mahan said. ``He's just a great athlete who can really run the floor.''

Senior Jourmaine Prater, a 5-11 shooting guard, is also in the mix, along with 5-10 seniors Steve Edwards and Trent Searcy. Edwards is slotted as the starting point guard.

Palmdale, 15-10 in 1996, has lost four starters, including All-Southern Section guard Markus Carr, but coach Garry Phelps (19th year) figures several key reserves will prove themselves this season.

Senior Kenny Yates, a 6-2 forward, averaged 15 points last year and should be the Falcons' go-to guy. Yates drives and shoots well and can score inside.

``Kenny isn't easy to stop,'' Phelps said.

Tim Phelps, the coach's son, is a 5-11 senior who will start at guard. Phelps is a gifted shooter who can pump 3-pointers. He was 29 of 33 (88 percent) from the free-throw line and averaged five points as a reserve last year.

Undersized senior Andre Morris (6-2) will play the post. He was a part-timer who averaged three points in 1996.

Several talented JV players are moving up, led by Aaron Winchester, a 6-1 senior who averaged 15 points and is a slam-dunk jumper. Senior Aaron Perkins, a 6-2 swingman, also averaged 15 on the JVs and can score inside and outside.

L.A. Jordan transfer Byron Chambers, a 6-1 junior guard, and Eric Brown, another 6-1 guard who was the frosh league MVP after averaging 22 points per game, are two new faces vying for backcourt playing time. Chambers is quick and a good ball-handler; Brown is a perimeter shooter who can penetrate.

A lack of size is Palmdale's biggest problem.

``We'll have a bunch of 6-footers out there,'' Phelps said. ``We'll have to make up for not being tall with quickness and balance. We'll full-court press.''

Quartz Hill, Highland and Littlerock won just 18 games combined last year and don't figure to improve vastly.

Quartz Hill (8-15 last year) does return six players, led by senior guard Shawn Lett, senior forward Chris Hebert and junior guard Jason Tomlin.

Lett, just 5-8, averaged 13 points as a junior. Hebert, 6-1, averaged 12 points and eight rebounds. Tomlin, 6-0, is a crafty passer who dished six assists per game. Seniors Mario Grimm, Russell Garcia and Ankit Patel also return. None are taller than 6-1.

Coach Bernard Nichter says team speed and experience are the strengths. The obvious weakness is size, but considering most other Golden League competitors also lack height, the Rebels have a shot.

Highland (7-18 in 1996) pins its hopes on senior guard Wendell Bonner, a first-team All-Golden League returner. Bonner, 5-11, averaged 11 points and three rebounds last year.

Jon Moser and Dawon Lane, a pair of 6-foot sophomore forwards, are the top newcomers, according to coach Lyn Boop. Moser is a hard-nosed hustler. Lane is a raw talent.

``We're very young,'' Boop said. ``More than half the team are underclassmen and we could have two sophomore starters. With our tallest player just 6-1, we're very small and inexperienced. Time will tell.''

Littlerock was just 3-22 last year but should be much better, according to third-year coach Greg Madison. The Lobos are sparked by a trio of senior guards - Will Reddicks, Mike Grijalva and Brad Ronge. Reddicks averaged nine points and four assists as a junior. Grijalva averaged seven, and sharp-shooting Ronge converted 25 3-pointers (27 percent).

``We'll have much better depth and better team chemistry this year,'' Madison said. ``All our players have been in the system at least two years.''

Matt White, a 6-5 junior, and Tony Mayes, a 6-6 junior, will play inside, along with 6-2 junior Travis Williams and 6-2 sophomore Gene Myvett.

Seniorless Lancaster was 14-8 on the junior varsity circuit in 1996. The Eagles could finish as high as third, according to coach Nathan Gilmore.

Junior Brady Chelette, whose 17 points per game led Lancaster in scoring last year, is the primary weapon.

``You don't leave Brady open,'' Gilmore said. ``He'll shoot from four feet beyond the 3-point line, and I have no problem with that because he'll make 'em.''

Junior Andrew Austin, a bulky 6-5, 230-pound power forward, averaged six points and six rebounds on the JVs. He could provide help because most Golden League teams lack size.

Shot-blocking football convert Dominic Flax, a 6-3 natural scorer, is a slam-dunk jumper who should provide fireworks.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--2) Antelope Valley High figures to need a more balanced attack this season after losing high-scoring Ziaire Williams, left, and Le'Tre Kelly, right, to graduation. Palmdale could be A.V.'s biggest threat in the Golden League race.

Daily News File Photos