JD Wyatt scores 35 points to send Sun Valley Poly into City Section Division I final
JD Wyatt was 7 years old and sitting on the bench when his father, Joe, guided El Camino Real to a stunning two-point win over Westchester and Hall of Fame coach Ed Azzam in the 2014 City Section Division I championship basketball game in his first season as head coach after taking over for David Rebibo.
The son is all grown up now as an 18-year-old senior at Sun Valley Poly, and what a performance he turned in Wednesday night, scoring 35 points to lift Poly past top-seeded Granada Hills 66-53 in the City Section Division I semifinals. No. 5-seeded Poly will meet East Valley League rival Grant in the fina on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Pasadena City College. Grant defeat L.A. Jordan 64-62.
JD's father was dismissed by El Camino Real in 2022, leaving the family in turmoil, so the emotions felt by the son are real. They ended up at Poly and started over. Now the Parrots (22-9) will play for a City title.
'It means a lot,' JD said after the victory. 'I wanted this for him. I want this for my dad.'
Wyatt made two threes in the fourth quarter to halt a Granada Hills comeback bid. Quian Khawaja scored 17 points to support Wyatt. Julius Washington led Granada Hills with 18 points.
Grant advanced to the final when Andrew Berry made a layup with four seconds left against Jordan. Grant lost twice to Poly in East Valley League. Champ Merrill scored 29 points.
Wyatt has been sensational this season, averaging 28.4 points. He and his father embraced afterward knowing they need one more win to get their City title.
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