COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Rider Scores 29 to Propel Antelope Valley Into Final

J. R. Rider scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Antelope Valley College to a 104-84 victory over Golden West on Friday in a semifinal game of the College of the Desert tournament.

Tony Madison scored 24 for Antelope Valley, which improved to 11-3, and Brent Beardmore added 21--all on three-point baskets.

Beardmore’s seven three-point baskets rank second in the Antelope Valley record book for a single-game total behind Madison’s, who twice made 10.

Antelope Valley played without a point guard. Demetrice Phillips and LeVan Lide did not play because of disciplinary reasons and Bryan Wilcox is in Las Vegas for personal reasons.

Golden West closed to 83-79 with 4 minutes 54 seconds remaining, but Antelope Valley hit nine consecutive free throws and Rider hit a three-point basket with 2:36 left to cap a 12-0 run and seal the victory.

In another men’s game:

Columbia 74, Canyons 72--David Langley missed a three-point shot at the buzzer that would have given the host Cougars the win in a Cougar Holiday Classic semifinal.

Columbia (9-2) took a 73-72 lead with 1:15 left when Aaron Howell hit his ninth three-point basket. Canyons (7-8) missed a chance to tie when Reggie Bell missed two free throws with 35 seconds remaining. Howell sank the front end of a one and one with nine seconds left for the final margin.

Howell topped all scorers with 28 points, and former Crenshaw High standout Jon Staggers added 22 for Columbia.

Dan Murphy paced Canyons with 22, Nick Sanderson had 20 and Langley had 10.

Canyons led, 40-36, at halftime.

Canyons will face Sequoias, a 78-66 loser to Utah Valley, in today’s third-place game at 5 p.m.

WOMEN

James Madison 85, Cal State Northridge 47--Center Vicki Harris scored 19 points to lead Madison past the host Matadors. Northridge (4-9) made only four of 12 shots in the first half (33.3%) and trailed, 39-13, at halftime. Julie Arlotto was the only Matador in double figures, scoring 14.