For the first time this century, the Mission San Jose Warriors’ (Fremont) boys’ basketball team advanced to the second round of the North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs, defeating the St. Helena High School (Saint Helena) Saints 60-43 on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
From the 2004-05 season—the oldest with available online records—to last year, the team averaged a regular season record of 3-10 and qualified for the NCS playoffs just once. But this season, the Warriors defied expectations, finishing 8-6 in league play.
Placed by a selection committee as a seventh seed in NCS’s fourth division, Mission’s regular season performance set the stage for an opening home contest against 10th-seed St. Helena.
In the opening minutes, the Saints leaned on 6 ‘3’’ forwards Xander Kelperis and Charlie Garrett to exploit Mission’s undersized lineup—attacking the low post on offense and clogging the key on defense. But despite lacking height—with no starter surpassing 6 ‘1’’—Mission played physically. Running a man defensive scheme, they rapidly switched onto and swarmed Saints players, forcing turnovers and difficult shots as the home crowd roared in support.
“Heading into the game, we just knew we had to play hard,” Warriors head coach Michael Kenney said. “Nobody else can run with and [keep up] with us, and I thought that’s what we could take advantage of.”
In the first quarter, Mission notched five steals, repeatedly disrupting the Saints’ offensive rhythm. But despite their strong defense showing and a lower leg injury removing Kelperis from the game, the Warriors struggled to control the ball.
On offense, repeated errant passes skied towards Saints players or careened out of bounds, prematurely nixing scoring chances. Combined with the Saints drawing multiple fouls by driving into the paint, the first quarter ended 15-14, with Mission holding a narrow lead.
Spurred by chants of “Let’s Go Warriors,” Mission’s offense found its groove in the second quarter. Forwards Samanyu Vasamsetti and Brandon White outdueled multiple Saints players for rebounds, while guard Andrew Yao and forward Ankit Srinivas raced down the court for fastbreak points.
Even as the gym descended into deafening cheers as the Warriors repeatedly scored, Garrett’s physical paint presence kept Saint Helena within reach. But fueled by the crowd’s raucous support and Yao’s eight second-quarter points, the Warriors entered halftime with momentum.
Mission held St. Helena to two points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, notching multiple blocks and steals. With White and Vasamsetti extending possessions with rebounds, guard Darsh Jayaram and forward Joseph Standfield slashing into the paint, the Warriors’ lead ballooned to 12 points.
“Our teamwork and the fans really helped [us],” Jayaram said. “We lifted each other up whenever we got buckets, and the crowd was a huge factor.”
In the middle of the third quarter, the Saints responded with a scoring burst. Fueled by perimeter shots from guard Peter Oliver and forward Dean Sommer, their seven unanswered points rapidly narrowed the deficit to 38-33, prompting a Mission timeout.
But the Warriors answered with a lengthy 22-7 run, sealing their 60-43 victory. At the buzzer, the team ran onto the court in celebration, embracing each other and their supporters.
Mission’s season ended on Saturday with a 40-43 loss to Middletown High School (Middletown) in the second round. Regardless, their Tuesday win marked a program milestone—one the team hopes will be a launchpad to attract further community support.
“The crowd was outstanding,” Kenney said. “I wish this was there every Tuesday and Friday [regular-season] night.”
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