Trinity League Tournament: Best Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FULLERTON — More high school leagues have begun to adopt the League Tournament format to add some extra competition and intrigue to the end of the season. Last week, the Trinity League, widely recognized as one of the best prep conferences out west, held theirs at Hope International University. We were in attendance for the semifinals and championship game and below we break down the top guards we saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435392' first='Earl' last='Bryson'] | 2027 | JSerra</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryson is one of the more high energy and high motor two-way guards in Southern California. The 6-foot-2 junior is in constant attack mode in transition where his combination of speed, strength and body control allow him to initiate contact, earn paint touches and either finish at the rim through contact or draw an extra defender and find an open teammate. Bryson's impact was felt in the third-place game as he contributed eight rebounds and nine assists to help the Lions secure the final automatic playoff berth with a win over Mater Dei.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2131806' first='Gavin' last='Dean-Moss'] | 2026 | St. John Bosco</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dean-Moss is a fiery competitor who takes a defensive-minded approach to the game that has made the Braves a tough team to score on this season. The 6-foot-1 point guard is a ball-hawking defender at the point of attack and his ability to pressure, disrupt and contain the opposing ball-handler was key in taking JSerra and Santa Margarita out of their offensive sets. Offensively, Dean-Moss has shown progression as a decision-maker in transition and half-court settings, used his speed to get into the lane and has improved his shooting touch from mid-range and long distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956616' first='Jaden' last='Bailes'] | 2026 | JSerra</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bailes is a microwave type of scorer whose ability to fill up the scoring column with perimeter jumpers makes him one of the more dangerous scorers in SoCal. Bailes is a tough shot maker who is best off the bounce where he gets into rhythm mid-range jumpers and deep three-point shots. The Seattle University-signee scored 21 points on 8-for-13 from the field in a semifinal loss to eventual champion Santa Margarita and had 17 points and eight assists in the third-place win over Mater Dei.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956542' first='Kaiden' last='Bailey'] | 2026 | Santa Margarita</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bailey is widely regarded as one of the premier scoring guards on the west coast and his performance in Tuesday's semifinal win over JSerra supported that argument. The 6-foot-3 Georgia Tech-signee scored an easy 20 points where his pull-up jump shot from three-point and mid-range levels of the floor was dialed in. Bailey is at his best when getting a defender on an island, hunting his spots and making a quick, decisive move into his smooth perimeter jumper. The senior struggled offensively the following night as he missed all 11 of his field goal attempts, but still managed to impact the championship win by dishing out eight assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436287' first='Richie' last='Ramirez'] | 2027 | Mater Dei</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Monarchs were without one of its "Big Three" offensive players in Tuesday night's semifinal game and Ramirez did all he could to make up for that missing piece. The 6-foot-2 junior is one of the best drivers and paint touchers in the region as his combination of burst and speed off the bounce and changes of speed and direction help him keep defenders off-balance and create space for him to get into the lane. Ramirez is a unorthodox finisher who can make tough, contested layups and is also a knock down mid-range jump shooter. Ramirez scored 22 points in the Monarchs' semifinal loss to St. John Bosco and 21 points in a third place loss to JSerra.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1703073' first='Rodney' last='Westmoreland'] III | 2026 | Santa Margarita</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westmoreland had a huge performance to help the Eagles advance to the championship game as he poured in 15 points and seven assists. The 6-foot-1 senior connected on five three-point shots - all of the catch-and-shoot variety - showing improved balance, touch and confidence in his perimeter jump shot while still maintaining his game-manager, true point guard mindset. Westmoreland is one of the fastest players end-to-end with the ball in his hands and his ability to put pressure on retreating defenses in transition opens up clean looks from three for his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->