IMPRESSIVE - BUT NO RECORD; COC WOMEN'S 81-POINT VICTORY NOT BEST.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer

VALENCIA - That was no misprint in the newspaper.

Indeed, the College of the Canyons women's basketball team defeated Citrus 135-54 in a Western State Conference Southern Division game on Saturday.

The most interesting aspect of the victory was the relative lack of team records which were accomplished in such an awesome display of offensive prowess. That's the price one pays for running an historically offensive-minded program.

Canyons (16-6, 4-0) eclipsed the 135-point plateau at least once before, most notably in a 146-48 victory against Pierce three years ago. Coach Greg Herrick believes it is the team record for most points in a game.

The only new mark the Cougars set against Citrus was for 3-pointers made. COC hit 12 of 21 3-point attempts, nearly doubling the previous high of seven, Herrick said. In fact, one player - former Canyon High of Canyon Country standout Janette Garcia - equaled the previous record. She made 7 of 8 3-pointers for a team-high 21 points.

Garcia was just one of many COC players who reached season or career highs in the game. Former Hart of Newhall star Brianna Kentfield had 14 points, Natalie Gabor had 18 and Becca Voigt 16. The aforementioned players are all reserves and had their totals in addition to starters Tasha Allen (19 points) and Leanne Bennett (20).

``They played a lot of minutes in that game and that shows the kind of depth we have,'' Herrick said of his reserves. ``It gave us the opportunity to see them play and get them some experience for when we play down the road and run into a game where our starters aren't playing (well). There won't be as much pressure if they've played a certain amount of minutes previously.''

--Witness: There were two special fans in attendance for the COC women's game at Citrus. Former players Zevette Mitchell and LaCresha Clark made the trip for the game and Herrick invited them to sit on the bench.

It's a common occurrence at COC games to find former players either watching from the bench or the stands and it's something Herrick cherishes.

``We promote the family when they play for us; it's a little corny, but that's the way we do it,'' Herrick said. ``They had such a marvelous experience and they miss it. They also support the girls who are here now. One of the best things about coaching is when ex-players want to be around.''

Mitchell and Clark were part of the team which defeated Pierce 146-48 and joked with Herrick during the game that the team wouldn't be able to reach that mark.

--Running the team: Freshman point guard Natalie Avanecy was perhaps the most conspicuous of the freshman players who struggled mightily in the early portion of the season. The Burbank High graduate has really turned it around, cutting her turnovers and increasing her assists. She leads the WSC with an average of 6.2 assists per game.

--At .500: The men's basketball team evened its conference record with a 93-77 victory against Citrus on Saturday. Anthony Ellison had 14 points to bring his Western State Conference scoring average to 20.8 points per game, second highest in the conference.

Point guard Eurskine Robinson is leading the Cougars (9-13, 2-2) with 7.3 assists per game, which puts him second among WSC leaders. Forward Nana Gbewonyo is 18th in the WSC with 6.6 rebounds per game.

As the many new players on the men's team continue to gel, the offense has been on the rise. COC features the fourth most potent offense in the WSC, averaging 79.6 points per game.

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Photo: (color) COC guard Natalie Avanecy has cut down on her turnovers this season.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News