With Steryo Down, Mounties Still Rock

As important as three-point bomber Rocky Steryo is to Montclair Prep, the Mounties haven’t become the favorite to win a state Division V basketball title on his contributions alone.

Jedidiah Hall, Jules Thompson, Carlease Clark and Kevin Bentley all stepped forward in the fourth quarter Thursday night to make up for the absence of Steryo (four fouls) in the Mounties’ 65-45 Southern Section Division V-AA quarterfinal playoff victory over Yeshiva.

Hall finished with 16 points, Thompson had 12 points, Clark 11 points and Bentley added 17 rebounds as the Mounties (26-3) earned a semifinal berth against the winner of tonight’s game between Pasadena Poly and Pacific Hills.

Steryo, a senior guard, led the Mounties with 20 points, and his four three-pointers give him 261 in his career. He made three three-pointers at the outset of the game when Montclair Prep surged to an 18-1 lead.

But Yeshiva (21-2), behind guard Eli Hami (16 points), scored the next 10 points to send a powerful message it wasn’t about to let the game slip away so quickly.

“We thought they would give up, but they didn’t,” Bentley said. “I take my hat off to them.”

Steryo missed six consecutive shots in the third quarter and picked up his fourth foul with five seconds left, causing concern for the Mounties. They entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 46-39 lead. That’s when Steryo’s teammates took command.

Thompson, Bentley and Hall muscled their way inside and Clark served as the playmaker during a 14-2 Montclair Prep run.

“We knew we needed to pull together without Rocky,” Thompson said.

Yeshiva might be the second-best team in Division V-AA.

The Panthers’ only two losses this season were inflicted by Montclair Prep. They were also beaten, 66-53, last month by the Mounties.

“I like the way they play,” Thompson said of Yeshiva. “I consider them one of the top three teams we’ve played all season. They play 32 minutes.”

It was a good test for Montclair Prep to see how it would respond when Steryo suffered a rare off shooting night.

Hall, a 6-foot-7 senior, was more aggressive than usual on offense.

His emergence as an offensive contributor will be crucial during the Mounties’ bid for a Southern Section and state title over the next three weeks.