JD Wyatt was 7 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 game, putting an exclamation mark on his first season as coach after taking over for David Rebibo.

The son is now 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 final Saturday at 4 p.m. at Pasadena City College. Grant defeat L.A. Jordan 64-62.

JD was playing for his father when Joe was dismissed by El Camino Real in 2022, leaving the family in turmoil. JD transferred and they both ended up at Poly and started over. Now JD and the Parrots (22-9), coached by Joe, 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 him.Julius Washington led Granada Hills with 18 points.

JD Wyatt celebrates Poly’s semifinal win over Granada Hills.

(Craig Weston)

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 play. Champ Merrill scored 29 points.

Wyatt has been sensational this season, averaging 28.4 points. He and his father embraced after the game, knowing they need one more win to get their City title.