COC NOTEBOOK: COC TAKES ADVANTAGE OF SHORT-HANDED AVC.

Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News

With three Antelope Valley College men's basketball players out with illness or injury, a game against the Marauders might have been just what the doctor ordered for a College of the Canyons team in need of a boost of confidence.

AVC entered the 16th annual Cougar Holiday Classic with a 10-2 record and the only program ranked in the state among the eight-team field. But after a 77-68 loss to Los Angeles Harbor in Tuesday's semifinals, COC (6-7) rebounded to post a 71-65 victory in Wednesday's third-place game, handing the Marauders their second consecutive loss.

West Los Angeles defeated Harbor 71-68 in the final in a battle of two unranked teams.

AVC - ranked No. 4 in Southern California and No. 9 in the state by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association - led 48-46 against COC with just over 10 minutes remaining before the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game.

COC did survive a scare down the stretch as University of Houston- bound small forward Carlton Spencer landed hard on the floor on a drive to the basket near the six-minute mark, forcing him to the sidelines. But the Cougars were able to protect the lead for the 95-second stretch that Spencer was out, setting the stage for him to put the game away with five points in the final minute.

Spencer, a product of West Jefferson High in New Orleans, La., recorded his first career triple-double in the victory with 21 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, and was supported by Curtis Dunwoody (20 points) and Andrew Morris (11 points).

Spencer - who averaged 19.1 points, 5.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds last season en route to earning Western State Conference South Division Most Valuable Player and first-team all-state honors - entered the tournament averaging 18.5 points, ranking him No. 16 in the state.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore finished with 50 points in three tournament games, with Dunwoody leading the Cougars with 53. Dunwoody scored 21 points and Morris added 11 in a tournament-opening 73-58 victory against Palomar, in which COC led 39-21 at halftime. Dunwoody and Jordan Surratt each scored 12 points in the loss to Harbor, with Spencer leading the Cougars with 17.

COC plays host to Fullerton at 5 p.m. Sunday in a nonconference game before opening WSC competition at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at West L.A.

--Tough trip: The COC women's basketball team headed north to compete in the three-day Lady Jag Invitational - hosted by San Jose City College - seeking some strong competition against several teams ranked in the top 10 in the state, most notably No. 1 Pasadena.

Unfortunately for the No. 10 Cougars, their potential rematch with the Lancers - and a shot at moving up in the state poll - didn't materialize following an opening-round loss to No. 9 San Joaquin Delta.

COC (7-6), which opens WSC play Wednesday at West L.A., was scheduled to face Fresno City, followed by Reedley or Sierra, in the final two days of the tournament.

--The waiting game: While several sophomores on the COC football team have reaped the benefits of winning the program's first state title by attracting the attention of several Division I and I-AA programs - most recently defensive back Kris Theus, who committed to Northern Arizona - a handful of sophomores on the COC women's volleyball team are still waiting to secure their futures.

Breanna Trudeau became the first player under coach Lisa Hooper to commit before her sophomore season, signing with Cal State Fullerton. However, several of her teammates are still unsigned heading into their fourth semester at the school.

Sabrina Basoff, Natalie Coe, Melissa Gillard, Ashley Lawler, Taryn Maxwell and Krista McAhren all tried to speed up the process by participating in the sophomore showcase that was connected with the three-day state championship tournament in early December in Stockton, which was attended by 15 four-year college coaches.