A.V. IS SOLID AGAIN GOLDEN LEAGUE MVP MCCUTCHEON RETURNS.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley High stunned the local girls' basketball community last season, when the perennial doormats of the Golden League won the league title.

The Antelopes return nearly their entire team and are now league-title favorites.

The most notable returnee is senior Crystal McCutcheon, a 5-foot-9 point guard who won the league MVP award last season after leading the Antelopes to their first league title since 1988.

McCutcheon, who can play any position according to coach April Davenport, has already accepted a full scholarship to Division I Pepperdine. She brings great quickness, ballhandling skills, and ``a beautiful outside shot,'' according to Davenport.

Antelope Valley likes to push the ball in the open court, but Davenport wants her players to work on running a set offense effectively, which she believes will help the team advance into the later rounds of the playoffs.

Davenport said her team's greatest strengths are experience, quickness and knowledge of the game.

The Antelopes return eight players from last season's team, and 10 of their 11 players have varsity experience.

Her greatest concern is the team's lack of height. The Antelopes' tallest player is 5-11 Jacquana Young. A senior, Young was an All-Golden League selection last season and her low-post skills complement McCutcheon. Young is also an excellent outside shooter and penetrates opposing defenses well. She is being recruited by several Division II programs.

Sophomore post player Sheena Crenshaw, also a returning all-league selection, is only 5-7 but has an uncanny ability to outrebound taller players. Davenport said Crenshaw has great instincts and a scrappy, can-do attitude.

Junior forward Cristol Fox, a transfer from Long Beach Wilson High, has solid ball-handling and rebounding skills and gives the Antelopes experience. Junior guard Naomi Casey is one of the team's top outside shooters.

Other key players include sophomore Shaquina Mosley and junior Chrissy Floyd. Mosley, a 5-7 guard with limited varsity experience, has excellent quickness and a strong outside shot. She proved herself to be an explosive weapon on the junior varsity last season, averaging more than 30 points and 14 steals per game. Floyd, a 5-6 guard, is among the team's most tenacious defenders and is also an offensive threat from the perimeter.

Sophomore Danielle Delouth, a 5-5 guard, is another scoring threat.

Seniors Amanda Hellwig and Angeli Francios and junior Erica Jackson will also be counted on to contribute. Hellwig, a 5-9 small forward, is a fundamentally sound player who could have an important role coming off the bench. Francios, a shooting guard, is among the team's hardest workers and Jackson, a 5-7 forward, is a physical player who can set screens and rebound.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Crystal McCutcheon was named Golden League MVP after leading 1999 Antelopes to their first league title since 1988.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer