Granite Bay stuns Rio Americano on Yaqub Mir’s game-winning shot to reach section finals
Yaqub Mir’s 11-point second quarter forced Rio Americano to change up its defense.
Mir, Granite Bay’s standout point guard and leading scorer, spent much of the second half of Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal dealing with double- and triple-teams. The top-seeded Raiders weren’t going to let one of the best scorers in the area beat them.
It almost worked.
Mir’s scoring was slowed. Rio Americano, which came in with a 26-4 record, stormed back from 16-point halftime deficit to the tie the game in the final minute. Yet at the most crucial point in the game, with a section championship berth on the line and the clock ticking under 10 seconds with the game tied at 56, Mir got the single coverage he wanted.
He worked his dribble to his left hand from the right side of the floor, nearly stumbled as he drove toward the lane and pulled up to take the game-winning shot from 17 feet. The ball bounced off the front rim, then off the back, before softly falling through the net with 4.2 seconds remaining, giving the 13th-seeded Grizzlies a stunning 58-56 victory.
“It’s what he does,” Granite Bay coach Jason Sitterud said of Mir.
Granite Bay stunned a home favorite for the second consecutive game after beating Woodcreek last Friday. The Grizzlies will advance to the section championship to take on Whitney on Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
Mir finished with a game-high 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and a pair of free throws with just over two minutes left. Friday’s game will give the Grizzlies a shot at redemption following last year’s loss to Grant in the section finals.
“I would just give credit to my coaches and teammates,” Mir said. “They put in me in a position to be here. All the credit to them, really, just putting in the work every single day.”
Wednesday’s game was a rematch after the two non-conference foes played last month. Granite Bay won that contest, 68-61, but the Raiders were missing their leading scorer, Luke Mason, who was back on Wednesday. Mason, a pure shooting 6-foot-6 senior, finished with 19 points, while senior guard Miles Lake added 16 points and spearheaded Rio Americano’s near-miraculous comeback in the second half.
Granite Bay outscored the home team 23-9 in the second quarter to take a 37-21 lead into halftime. The Raiders came out of the locker room with a renewed sense of intensity, particularly on the defensive end, where they sold out to prevent Mir from getting open looks. They went on a 15-8 run to open the third quarter, letting the road team know they weren’t going down quietly.
Rio Americano outscored the Grizzlies 35-21 after halftime, but the Raiders couldn’t overcome the first-half deficit — or Mir’s clutch scoring.
After Mir hit the game-winning shot, he walked to the backcourt calmly, staring toward the far wall while the visiting student section and bench went nuts. The home fans to his right were stunned. The Raiders’ student section was in a lather in the second half and erupted multiple times down the stretch when their team was making its comeback. But they had nothing to yell at Mir after he hit the game’s most important shot.
Quieting a home crowd is something Mir has become accustomed to over four varsity seasons as he prepares to take his skills to UC San Diego next fall. He did it last week against Woodcreek when he had 28 points and hit six 3s, and earlier when he dropped 38 on rival Del Oro.
“I love it. I just embrace that. I love the hate,” Mir said. “It’s fun. It’s a fun environment.”
The win pushed the Grizzlies’ record to a pedestrian 14-17, speaking to the resiliency they’ve shown this season. They entered the playoffs as the fourth-lowest seed in the 16-team Division II field, yet they leaned on their experience to get back to the championship game, where they feel they have unfinished business. Now their record is inconsequential. One more win makes them section champions.
Running with Mir is scrappy forward McCade Long, who also quarterbacks the football team. Long made a handful of hustle plays and key free throws down the stretch that were critical in Wednesday’s win.
Senior big man Trevor Alfstad scored eight points while dealing with foul trouble throughout. His backup, Brayden Honebein, provided energy off the bench, hitting a clutch 3 to help stave off the comeback, while using his length and athleticism to defend the paint. Guard Davis Abell added eight points, including a pair of 3s, while sharing ball-handling duties with Mir. Abell scored 21 points in last week’s 74-70 win at Woodcreek.
“This is the playoffs,” Mir said. “I think we came out hungry, this year especially. All the seniors and the people who were there with us last year, they want to get it back. This is now the chance to do it.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 5:00 AM.