North OC Championships: Top Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LA HABRA — We were in attendance for Wednesday's action at Sonora high school for the annual North Orange County Championship tournament. Below are the top guard performances we saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2425688' first='Charles' last='Knight'] | 2026 | Rancho Verde</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knight was highly aggressive on the offensive end from the jump and finished with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. The 6-foot senior showed the ability to play both on or off the ball with his on-ball presence putting pressure on the defense with his downhill attacking mentality in transition. In half-court offense, Knight was effective in spot up and straight-line drive situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Dean Dohrmann | 2029 | Anaheim Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dohrmann is one of the states best freshmen and he showed why in a win over Norte Vista. The 6-foot scoring guard brought a ton of offensive confidence to the floor and it resulted in him scoring 17 points to help the Comanches earn a semifinal berth. Dohrmann has that typical off-bounce and off-movement scoring and shooting feel that we've become accustomed to from Canyon guards and his ability to hit from three and mid-range levels made him a tough cover.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2750216' first='Devin' last='Mitchell'] | 2028 | Etiwanda</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mitchell is billed as an intriguing combo guard prospect in the sophomore class and put together a nice two-way effort to help Etiwanda defeat Cypress and reach the semifinals of the tournament. The 6-foot-3 combo guard has all the physical and athletic tools you look for in a next-level guard, and while his scoring output is highest in driving situations where he finishes through contact, he showed improvement in his shooting mechanics which resulted in knocking down three triples in the win. Mitchell scored 22 points and pulled down six boards in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Ivan Don-Willies | 2028 | Rancho Verde</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don-Willies established himself as one of the best catch-and-shoot threats in this tournament and a sophomore to keep a close eye on over the next two-and-a-half seasons. The 5-foot-11 shooting guard has textbook shooting mechanics, great balance, a quick release, and deep range on his jumper which forces opposing defenses to extend well beyond the three-point line. Don-Willies hit five triples en route to 22 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436284' first='Jayden' last='Barnes'] | 2027 | Sonora</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barnes is a strong-framed point guard whose ability to use his physical tools to overwhelm defenders stood out as his best attribute. The 6-foot junior is always in attack mode - whether in transition or half-court offense - and hunts paint touches where he can power through and score through contact or draw that contact and get to the free throw line. While Barnes is best as a straight-line driver, he did show touch out to the three-point line. He finished with 22 points in a loss to Rancho Verde.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Marquise Johnson | 2027 | Norte Vista</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson was the best pure passer that we saw on Wednesday as his combination of passing accuracy, timing and creativity led to him dishing out seven assists in Norte Vista's loss to Anaheim Canyon. The 5-foot-10 junior used his quickness, shiftiness and feel for the game with the ball to break down his initial defender and get into the lane where he delivered on-time and on-target passes to shooters and big men. Johnson added 11 points, as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Rami Awad | 2026 | Anaheim Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canyon always has multiple guards who can shoot the lights out from multiple levels of the floor and Awad will be that main guy for the Comanches this season. The 6-foot combo guard hits threes and mid-range jumpers off the catch and off the bounce with a quick release and deep range. Awad plays with extreme confidence and toughness on both ends of the floor and is highly effective using screens without the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Ryan Gov | 2026 | Cypress</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gov is one of the more underrated seniors in all of SoCal and also one of the toughest guards for defenders to keep in front. The 5-foot-10 point guard uses his quick changes of speed and direction and ability to manipulate defenders with the dribble to get into the lane where he understands how to use angles and the class to finish craftily around the rim. Gov is also a player who can fill it up from the perimeter with tough off-bounce jumpers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->