It’s Another Happy Ending for Merritt

Imitation starts at a young age, whether repeating words or mimicking actions.

In the world of 15-year-old Stedman Merritt, he tries to imitate basketball icons Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“They always want the ball at the end of the game,” he said. “That’s their job, and that’s my mentality.”

Merritt, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard at Ontario Colony, is developing into a clutch player.

“The kid has an unbelievable knack to hit the big shot,” Coach Jerry De Fabiis said. “When the game is close, the kid just wants the ball.”

It happened again Saturday night against unbeaten La Canada in the Reebok Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University.

With Colony trailing most of the game, Merritt scored six consecutive points in an 11-second span, culminated by a four-point play with 1 minute 10 seconds left to give the Titans a one-point lead. Colony went on to pull out a 69-65 victory, ending La Canada’s winning streak at 20 games.

Merritt finished with 28 points. His shooting skills are leaving a lasting impression and bringing attention to Colony (20-3), a second-year varsity program. Merritt is averaging 22.6 points and has made 77 three-pointers.

Mike LeDuc, who coaches Glendora and tutored NBA players Casey Jacobsen and Tracy Murray, is a good judge of talent.

“He shoots the lights out,” LeDuc said. “He’s got great range. If you give him an inch, he’ll nail it.”

Merritt started shooting a basketball at the age of 1. His father, Kevin, put him on his shoulders near the rim and the rest is history.

“Yeah, he made it,” Kevin said.

By fifth grade, Merritt went to a basketball tryout, and his father was surprised at what he saw.

“I noticed he had the ability to shoot,” Kevin said. “I got chills.”

Merritt played on a youth team with Taylor King of Santa Ana Mater Dei that won a 12-and-under national championship. The two could have a reunion in the Southern Section playoffs because Colony is in Division II-A, the same as Mater Dei.

Besides his shooting skills, what draws attention to Merritt is how high he elevates on his jump shot. Sometimes he leaps higher than if he were going for a layup.

Defense is the area he’s trying to improve because he knows it will be critical to keep playing the sport.

“I have to contain people on the perimeter, especially the quick guard,” he said. “I’ll need to do that at the next level. If you don’t, you won’t play.”

Last season, Merritt twice connected on three-pointers late in games to help Colony avoid defeat. On Friday night, he made four consecutive free throws in the final minute to help Colony defeat Montclair, 89-85.

No matter the situation and no matter the opponent, he seems ready to perform.

“I’m blessed,” he said. “I don’t get nervous.”

To beat La Canada, Colony rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a full-court, trapping defense. No one was more influential in the comeback than junior forward Brandon Davis, who scored 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.

La Canada, one of the favorites to challenge Santa Margarita and Artesia for the Division III-AA championship, received 27 points from senior guard Craig Ballard, who made six three-pointers. But it was Ballard’s technical foul with 1:21 left that started Merritt on his six-point blitz and ended the Spartans’ hopes for an unbeaten regular season.

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UCLA-bound outfielder Blair Dunlap of Santa Margarita is expected to sit out the 2005 baseball season after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame defensive back Cary Harris has been on a recruiting trip to USC this weekend. If he commits, he’d join Kevin Thomas of Oxnard Rio Mesa and Will Harris of Covina Charter Oak, giving the Trojans the top three defensive backs available in Southern California.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.