ANTELOPE VALLEY COLLEGE: YOUNG AVC STARTS STRONG MARAUDERS OVERCOME HUFF'S ABSENCE WITH FRACTURED WRIST.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Special to the Daily News

LANCASTER - What little margin for error the freshmen-heavy Antelope Valley College men's basketball team had with former Lancaster High standout Deonte Huff in the lineup evaporated when the sophomore sensation suffered a fractured wrist late last month.

That the Marauders won their first two Foothill Conference games without Huff made their strong start that much more impressive.

AVC (9-10, 2-0 heading into Wednesday's conference game against Desert of Palm Desert) opened conference play Jan. 4 with a 69-57 overtime victory over Victor Valley of Victorville, then defeated Rio Hondo of Whittier 69-57.

Huff was scheduled to undergo an X-ray Wednesday to evaluate the severity of the injury, and he could rejoin the team soon, coach Newton Chelette said.

Huff suffered the injury when he was undercut by a Moorpark defender while driving to the basket in a Dec. 27 College of the Canyons tournament game.

Huff leads the team, averaging 23.7 points and 7.9 rebounds. He is the Marauders' only player averaging double digits in scoring, and he has led them in scoring in all but two of the 16 games he has played.

``Deonte carried us on his back the early part of season,'' Chelette said, ``and when he got hurt and we found out we'd have to play our first conference games without him, those young guys really could have really just tanked, but they continued to work, and they've been playing really well.

``It's amazing I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. Each game, somebody else has stepped up for us.''

In the Victor Valley game, freshman guard Brandon McQueen scored 18 points, 10 in overtime.

Freshman guard Gary Thomas (Lancaster High) set the tone for AVC in the Rio Hondo game, scoring all of his 15 points in the first half on five 3-pointers.

Chelette said sophomore forwards Robert Hughes (Boron) and Donte Bell have made big contributions in the leadership department.

Perhaps out of necessity, the Marauders have been playing some of their best defense lately. Victor Valley shot just 30 percent from the floor, and Rio Hondo made just 23 percent of its shots.

``Without (Deonte), we have to be really good defensive team and just hope our offense catches up,'' Chelette said.

--Stojic back: Sophomore guard/forward Sasa Stojic was scheduled to play her first minutes Wednesday for the women's basketball team since undergoing an offseason surgical procedure, in which a portion of her heel bone that was protruding on a nerve was shaved off.

AVC coach John Taylor said she made great strides in practices earlier this week, but he acknowledged she'll probably have to play through significant pain.

Stojic, from Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, is hoping to parlay her AVC experience into an opportunity to play at a four-year school before her visa expires later this year.

``She's not 100 percent, but she's a really tough kid, and she wants to give it a go,'' Taylor said.

--Also: Sophomore guard Rhiannon McCrumb (Quartz Hill) left the women's basketball team for personal reasons. ``She's one of my all-time favorite kids, and she is missed, but sometimes life situations are more important than basketball,'' Taylor said. ... Freshman guard Rebecca Maessen's status with the team will evaluated after doctors on Monday assess a foot injury that has sidelined her all season.

Gideon Rubin, [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com