Antelope Valley Is Golden Again

Antelope Valley High clinched its second consecutive Golden League girls’ basketball title on Tuesday night because of its sixth man.

Shaquina Mosley, a 5-foot-5 bundle of energy and aggression, scored 21 of her 24 points in the second half to lead the Antelopes to a 65-53 victory over Palmdale.

Mosley’s contribution was no surprise. The sophomore guard has been doing it all season and is Antelope Valley’s No. 2 scorer with a 13.4 average.

“She could start for us, but she gives us such a spark off the bench,” said Coach April Davenport of Antelope Valley (23-3, 9-0 in league play). “She’s the best sixth man in the league.”

When Palmdale (16-9, 7-2) whittled a 45-35 deficit to 45-42 in less than a minute, Mosley answered with one of her four three-pointers and a driving layup early in the fourth quarter, quickly restoring some breathing room.

In the final three minutes, she made all four free throws as the Falcons tried to claw back.

“The sixth man always has to work the hardest,” she said. “That’s what the team needs, for me to come in and provide a spark.”

Mosley overshadowed an impressive effort by guard Jennifer Albertson, Palmdale’s top reserve.

Albertson scored 28 points, including five three-pointers.

Forward Tiffany Spottiswood injured an ankle during a sixth period workout Tuesday and Juanita Newsome, a sophomore transfer from Antelope Valley, sat out because of academic problems, according to Coach George Corisis.

That left Palmdale with eight players.

“That was a big factor,” Corisis said. “We couldn’t sub. We used all of our timeouts to rest them.”

The Antelopes, who used seven players, showed no fatigue.

“Coach told us to run, run, run,” Pepperdine-bound guard Crystal McCutcheon said.

McCutcheon, who had 19 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, kept the offense running, but Palmdale caught her several times in a rugged and loosely officiated game.

In the last three weeks, McCutcheon has been targeted by opponents who took exception to her prediction that the Antelopes, ranked No. 4 in the region by The Times and No. 8 in Southern Section Division I-A, would blow through the league.

“Yes, I’m a marked person,” said McCutcheon, who took shots to the eye, mouth and nose in separate tussles for loose balls. “Everyone might be out to get me, but I’m not mad. I love the competition.”