Prep boys’ basketball: Loud and proud, Granite Bay inspired by crowd to topple Bella Vista
No one will have to remind the rooting-section students at Granite Bay High School to report to bleacher duty Monday night.
That rowdy pack collective knew before 9 p.m. Friday that their signs, colors, cheers and chants in abundance would be required for the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section basketball playoffs. Students on Friday packed into one half of one side of their home seats and did their thing, providing a tremendous backdrop of energy and inspiration for their beloved Grizzlies.
Seeded eighth, Granite Bay overcame a slow start and finished the final three quarters strong to defeat No. 9 Bella Vista 72-60 to extend a season that suddenly has a lot more promise.
The Grizzlies anticipated for a good 15 minutes after downing Bella Vista that they would have to prepare for a 28-0, top-seeded Ponderosa Bruins outfit that towered over the competition this season, including an early season victory over Granite Bay. They expected the game to be well up Highway 50 in Shingle Springs.
But what are the playoffs without an upset, and it happened Friday when St. Mary’s of Stockton, seeded 17th, stunned top-seeded Ponderosa 69-63 in perhaps the biggest upset in section basketball history. It certainly is seedings-wise, as a No. 1 seed has never lost to a No. 16, 17 or 18 seed. Now the storied Rams will head to Placer County and invade Granite Bay’s gym.
“It just shows how much parity there is,” Granite Bay coach Jason Sitterud said. “That’s what makes it fun.”
Fun for the Grizzlies against Bella Vista included Yagub Mir working his magic with the ball. The 6-foot-3 junior guard is as good as there is in this section with the dribble, and the pass, and setting guys up, and attacking the rim, and never seeming to tire. He had 21 points, which is pretty routine for him.
The bonus for Granite Bay was the monstrous effort delivered by T.J. Maveety. The 6-6 senior forward had a lifetime-best 37 points, and he played to the crowd on a lot of his buckets, waving or winking to his student peers, including after hitting top-of-the-key 3-pointers. The lefty also attacked the basket, yanked down rebounds, ran the break, made good passes and enjoyed every bit of it, right on to the end and then after as he was surrounded by students.
“He was great,” Sitterud said of Maveety.
As for Mir, same old thing. The guy just impacts games without having to dominate the ball or stall any flow.
“He scores quietly,” Sitterud said. “He had 30 against Rocklin when he was a freshman and we thought, ‘what just happened?’ He’s really good.”
Mir takes his craft seriously. He spoke of beaming pride of the influence of his parents, Mirir and Goska, and their guidance and support. His father worked with him over the years on basketball. Mir started dribbling when he was in the first grade, and he hasn’t stopped. He’s also a 4.5 student with advanced-placement courses such as calculus. Mir is a crowd favorite, and the feelings are mutual.
“They’re the best,” Mir said of his rooting section, adding of his team, “and we feed off of it. We have great team chemistry. A lot of us have grown up together. We have nothing to lose. We feel like we can keep winning in the playoffs.”
McCade Long used his 6-4 frame to muscle in for 10 points for Granite Bay, and the Grizzlies received solid efforts from other cogs such as Trevor Alfstad and Dylan Engel.
The Grizzlies (17-12) are a battle-tested group from the rigors of the Sierra Foothill League, where they placed third, and it is a well coached team under a guy who has been at Granite Bay since it opened in 1996. Sitterud has coached basketball at the school in some capacity from the start, and he’s been the varsity head man since 2007. He also helped create the girls golf team on campus, which has become a powerhouse, including winning 12 league championships, seven section banners and, this past fall, also winning CIF State honors.
Sitterud is a lifer with no plans to quit any time soon. He also enjoys teaching English, and he spoke of pride of having his three kids graduate from the school. They are all attending BYU.
“I love it here, love our league,” Sitterud said. “We have great kids here, quality kids. They make it fun.”
Jake Raymond led Bella Vista with 17, and Nrandon Carton had 11, Dustin Graf 10 and Nick Lira nine. The Broncos finished 18-9.
This story was originally published February 19, 2022 at 3:11 AM.