HS HOOPS: Montclair is Preping for more success

Montclair Prep has won five section titles plus one state title and one state runner-up, and the Mounties are still alive in Div. V with a regional semifinal Saturday against visiting St. Bernard.

Coach Greg Patterson has had deeper talent through the years, but not too many teams with this much fight, as guard Trey Dickerson, forward Charles Lockett and their teammates have been battle-tested in the tough Alpha League featuring Div. V top seed Sierra Canyon.

"I think I'm most proud of this team, compared to any teams I've had," Patterson said. "The way they've grown and developed, I'm just really proud of them. We're just really coming together as a team. Everyone is playing their roles, and we play pretty good defense. That's what's keeping us in games."

Lockett has come on strong over the past month, and he scored 20 points with 13 rebounds March 4 against Sierra Canyon in a three-point overtime loss in the section final. But the star of the show is Dickerson, a 6-foot guard with a 40-inch vertical leap.

"In our game Tuesday, he had probably one of the most amazing dunks I've ever seen in high school," Patterson said. "He was just so high above the rim that he brought the house down. It was amazing. That's all I can say."