COLLEGE BASKETBALL ANTELOPE VALLEY TOURNAMENT : Second-Half Spurt Sends Canyons Into Championship Game, 102-95

College of the Canyons went to the races with Antelope Valley on Friday night and came away with its second victory over the Marauders in a week, 102-95, in the semifinals of the Antelope Valley tournament.

This time nobody was talking about a rematch: There were no ifs or buts about the outcome.

“I used to think we were the best transition team in California,” Antelope Valley Coach Newton Chelette said. “But we weren’t tonight.”

That distinction might belong to the Cougars, who advanced to the championship of the tournament for the first time in 11 years. They shot 58% (41 of 70) and held a 56-38 rebounding advantage.

Canyons (6-1), which will play Sequoias tonight at 8:30, also erased any doubts about the legitimacy of last Saturday’s 89-76 win over the Marauders in a nonconference game in Valencia.

“The last time we played they said they didn’t have a fair shot because D. J. Jackson wasn’t playing,” said forward Reggie Bell (22 points, 10 rebounds), one of many stars for the Cougars. “We wanted to prove that we could beat them with D.J.”

Jackson, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored just seven points the first time the teams met and did not play the second half because of disciplinary reasons. On Friday, the 22-year-old freshman led all players with 32 points. But after picking up his fourth foul with 15 minutes 24 seconds to play, Jackson and the Marauder defense were in trouble.

With sophomores David Langley (28 points), Marquis Wilborn (27 points) and Bell leading the attack, Canyons erased a 56-55 halftime deficit with a relentless running game directly at the foul-plagued Marauder defense.

Tied, 63-63, with 17:01 to play, Canyons took charge with a 31-20 run to make it 94-83 with 4:15 remaining.

“The character just came out in our guys tonight,” Canyons Coach Lee Smelser said. “(Jackson) is a great one. But we just felt that those two kids (Jackson and guard Chris Walters) were not going to beat us.”

Walters was just three of 15 from the field and finished with nine points. Teammate Jason Grimes picked up the scoring slack with 20 points in addition to seven rebounds for Antelope Valley (3-4), which will meet Santa Monica at 6:30 p.m. for third place.

Canyons, which totaled 17 offensive rebounds, received 10 points and 13 rebounds from Jeff Dorst.

Canyons, which suffered its only defeat this year against Sequoias, 94-75 last month, last won this tournament in 1980 with a 48-46 win over Sequoias.