To completely comprehend what unfolded Friday night in Santa Rosa — Mission San Jose winning a section championship in boys basketball — consider the facts:

The Fremont public school is renowned for being ranked among the state’s best in academics but far from it in athletics.

So driven are its students about hitting the books that on the eve of Friday’s North Coast Section Division IV final, basketball coach Mike Kenney said that at least two of his players had academic commitments and might not make the trip to Santa Rosa to play Rancho Cotate.

Fortunately for the Warriors, their best players were there and they did what they had done every step of the way during this improbable playoff run:

They grinded their way to beat the odds. They didn’t let the scoreboard affect their desire. And when the opportunity finally presented itself, they pounced.

They scored nine of the final 12 points to win 46-40 in a game played at Montgomery High, about 10 miles from Rancho Cotate’s campus in Rohnert Park.

Instead of second-seeded Rancho Cotate celebrating its first NCS title in boys basketball, it was fourth-seeded Mission San Jose spilling onto the court as its players raised their arms in triumph and hoisted the first-place trophy.

“The feeling is awesome,” said Kenney, who graduated from Mission San Jose in 1977. “A great day for our kids. Not something we started out thinking we were gonna do. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of effort. I give nothing but credit to those kids.”

Joseph Standfield was sensational for MSJ, finishing with 23 points and nine rebounds. He had 11 points in the fourth quarter, which included pressure-packed free throws. The Warriors also got nine points from Will Chapman and seven points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals from Brandon White.

The team that Kenney says has “always taken pride in our defense,” forced 20 turnovers.

“Coming from Mission San Jose, we’re always overlooked, always counted out, always seen as a bunch of frail nerds who can’t hoop,” Standfield told the Bay Area News Group in a text on Saturday. “But winning last night was proof that we’re more than just a stereotype, and we’re so proud to represent our school on this stage.

“That said, none of this came easy. Early in the season we battled through a string of injuries, myself included, and the future of our season was uncertain. But every single day, we showed up, no excuses, put in the work, and bought into something bigger than ourselves. Moments like last night are what our commitment is for. We are incredibly grateful to be in this position, and we’re not done yet.”

Kenney went to Mission when athletics were part of the school’s fabric, when the football team competed for championships, winning its only NCS title in 1977.

But the sports fabric weakened over time. About a decade ago, the school dropped football. The boys basketball team has had only three winning seasons the past two decades, including one last season and another this year.

“To be honest, it’s just different at Mission,” Kenney told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “We play tomorrow night and one guy’s got a calculus test. Another guy is in LA for DECA (educational club). Basketball is not on the top of the list. But I have a couple of guys that it is. It’s really important, and they kind of drag everybody else along.”

DIVISION III

No. 2 Cornerstone Christian 81, No. 1 Branson 65: There are steps to become elite. Cornerstone Christian is taking them and enjoying the scenery and hardware along the way.

Two years ago, this small Antioch private school won NCS and NorCal Division VI championships. Last season, it was promoted to Division III for the section playoffs and was out after the first round.

Back in Division III again, having tested itself during the season with games against the likes of Archbishop Mitty, San Ramon Valley and Oakland Tech, Cornerstone was ready for the higher classification.

On Friday night, the second-seeded Cougars traveled to the North Bay and completed a dominant run through the D-III bracket with a victory over top-seeded Branson at College of Marin.

Cornerstone stretched its winning streak to 13 games and improved to 24-8 while bringing home another banner for its gym.

“It was a great moment for the school; it was a great moment for our team,” coach Michael Thomasson said. “

“But we’re not done yet.”

James Perry had what Thomasson described as “one of the games of his life.” The 6-foot-7 junior, a transfer from Freedom, scored 35 points as Cornerstone broke open the game in the fourth quarter. The Cougars also got 17 points from Amari Woodard and 15 from Benjamin Lukacs.

Cornerstone won all four of its NCS playoff games by double-digit margins, a testament to how much the team improved since last season. But the program wants more than a section title. Because there isn’t Division VI in the Southern California regional, Cornerstone didn’t get to play in Sacramento when it won a NorCal championship two years ago.

That won’t be the case if the Cougars win a NorCal title this time.

“The journey’s that grind,” Thomasson said. “Getting parents to believe in our vision. Getting kids to believe in our vision. ... Right now, we are poised to continue this run and ultimately try to get to Sacramento and do something that our school and our area has never done before.”

GIRLS

DIVISION III

No. 4 Miramonte 57, No. 2 Benicia 47: Miramonte coach Ace Wright waved her hands up and down, hyping the crowd, imploring them to scream and cheer. The game was all but over, her Matadors up 11 with 34 seconds left. But she as much as anyone understood the moment Friday night.

Miramonte upset No. 2-seeded Benicia, clinching a NCS Division III championship. On Alhambra’s floor, the No. 4-seeded Matadors celebrated their first section championship since 2017. Back when Miramonte was the cream of the crop, peaking during the era of New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who graduated in 2016.

The nine-year title drought is over.

“It means everything,” Wright said. “We kind of went on a slump for a while. ... This is my first year here, so to be able to get in there and change some things around. And, we got the win.”

Correspondent Devin Bradshaw and Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s Gus Morris contributed to this report.