Antelope Valley Lands Golden Punch, 61-42

Crystal McCutcheon looked like a prizefighter.

Her tooth had been chipped and her nose had been bloodied, but she wasn’t complaining.

The junior point guard led Antelope Valley High to its biggest victory in years, a 61-42 decision over Littlerock in a Golden League girls’ basketball game Thursday night at Antelope Valley.

She didn’t have a mouthpiece or spit bucket, but McCutcheon personified why the Antelopes are a different team from past seasons: They’re willing to put up a fight.

Antelope Valley (14-2, 3-0 in league play) was aggressive, unyielding and annoying, especially on defense, causing 14 first-half turnovers en route to a 32-19 halftime lead.

The Antelopes, 11-29 overall and 4-16 in league play during their first two years under Coach April Davenport, are no longer a laughingstock.

Now they’re the ones laughing.

“People thought of us as nothing,” said McCutcheon, who finished with 21 points despite taking an elbow to the face on a drive early in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think a lot of people on the team have actually played in front of people who cared. The principal and everybody are actually coming to the game. We saw them last year a couple of times, but now it’s every game.”

Almost every time, they see a victory.

Criticized for a soft nonleague schedule, Antelope Valley has defeated two of the top teams in the league. The Antelopes came from behind to beat Quartz Hill on Tuesday, 67-59, and had little trouble with Littlerock.

The Lobos (13-5, 2-1), ranked No. 9 in the region by The Times, made only 18 of 55 shots (32.7%), including an abysmal five of 20 in the fourth quarter.

“You’re not going to win games shooting like that,” said Coach Tom Hegre of Littlerock.

You will win games with a player like McCutcheon, who showed off a crossover and behind-the-back dribble, impressive outside shooting and seven-of-nine free-throw shooting in the second half.

How fun was it for the Antelopes?

Davenport called a timeout late in the first half just so her team, which led by as many as 16 in the second quarter, could bask in the sensation of winning.

“I said, ‘Listen to the crowd and enjoy this,’ ” Davenport said. “I said that if we win this game, it’s only going to get better.”

Jacquana Young finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Antelope Valley, which made 22 of 53 shots (41.5%).

Kristen Robinson scored 11 points and Lizette Rams added nine for Littlerock.

But the night belonged to Antelope Valley and McCutcheon, who has established herself as a leader.

“When I was a freshman I’d just yell,” she said. “Now it’s show by example instead of just yelling.”

The whole team is learning. And winning.