Comeback kids: 13th-seeded Granite Bay comes away with another upset victory in playoffs
It was a tight game with two elite scorers going back and forth. The intimate gym at Woodcreek High School in Roseville was packed with students from both sides, trading barbs and chants, while the visiting team from Granite Bay hung tough against the Timberwolves. They wouldn’t let the game get out of reach despite trailing after three quarters.
The Grizzlies were down three points after the first, second and third frames. But in the fourth, they stomped on the accelerator, went on a 15-4 run and escaped with a wild 74-70 victory to advance to Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals.
“It was pretty crazy,” Granite Bay head coach Jason Sitterud said.
It marked the second consecutive upset for the 13th-seeded Grizzlies following their victory over No. 4 St. Mary’s on Wednesday. They outscored Woodcreek, the No. 5 seed, 23-16 in the fourth quarter.
Star guard Yaqub Mir finished with a game-high 28 points, carrying Granite Bay with his 3-point shooting, hesitation dribbles and crossovers. Junior Davis Bell added 21 points, including four 3-pointers and six free throws down the stretch. Only five Grizzlies scored, while Woodcreek standout Austin Ito scored 21 points, Taye Hollins added 19 and Isaac Hawthorne had 16.
Ito and Mir spent the bulk of the night trading buckets.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Mir said. “Our team was just hitting shots, and I give credit to my teammates and coaches for coming out every day in practice, putting in work. It’s been a hell of a season.”
Granite Bay’s basketball season is reminiscent of their football team’s recent campaign. On the hardwood, the Grizzlies went 3-7 in Sierra Foothill League play, finishing in fifth place. The football team also finished fifth in the regular season, with a 1-4 record in league, before winning three playoff games to reach the section championship game against Manteca.
A win for the basketball team Friday night meant a game Wednesday against Rio Americano. Another win would send Granite Bay to its second straight section final at Golden 1 Center. Last year, the Grizzlies fell to Grant, which is an experience that’s driving Mir and the rest of their senior-laden roster.
“It was huge. We came out hungry,” Mir said. “In the beginning of the season, this is what we’ve all been waiting for right here. I would say the regular season in league didn’t go our way, but when it comes to the playoffs, we just flipped the switch.”
The Grizzlies took an eight-point lead on senior big man Trevor Alfstad’s layup with less than a minute remaining, but Woodcreek closed the gap to 72-70 with 3.6 seconds left following a sequence that included a Granite Bay foul in the backcourt, leading to free throws and a five-second violation.
Confusion followed.
After a timeout, Grizzlies senior forward Mccade Long, who played quarterback for the football team, fired a long inbound pass hoping to kill clock and prevent Woodcreek from getting a shot before time ran out. Ito appeared to intercept it, and then a timeout was called immediately from the Timberwolves’ bench.
Initially, referees granted the timeout, giving the home team a chance to tie the game while down two with less than a second remaining. But Woodcreek was out of timeouts, resulting in a technical foul, and Bell closed out the game for the Grizzlies with a pair of free throws.
The loud home student section was finally quieted as Granite Bay inbounded the ball and the clock ran out, taming an intimidating home atmosphere.
“That’s why you do it,” Sitterud said of the intense environment. “People always say high school sports are the best. The passion, the kids, great rivalry. We don’t play them enough. It’s a great, compact gym.”
Granite Bay (14-17) will look for a third upset victory next week against Rio Americano, the No. 1 seed in the Div. II bracket. The Raiders are 25-4 after beating Manteca 52-41 on Friday night.
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
