West Linn, Tualatin Stars Headline PGH's All-TRL First Team Picks

The regular season has reached the home stretch, and while the Three Rivers League standings look like they will come down to the final week, we've seen more than enough to make some all-conference predictions.   Housing the top two teams in the 6A division and three others ranked in the top 20, the TRL is littered with standout players. Many already took the conference by storm in previous years and are merely continuing their usual dominance, which makes this year's picks fairly easy to predict. Six of last year's seven first-teamers returned this season, and all six have been great, which begs the question: who will slide into that final spot?   I've had the delight of watching every TRL team play live this season, and I'm excited to present my predictions for the 2025-26 all-Three Rivers first team.    There's not much left to say about Best that hasn't been said already, and it feels odd saying that about a sophomore with so much great basketball ahead of her. But we are talking about someone who led an all-time great fourth-quarter comeback in the 2025 6A state championship game as a freshman. Someone who hit a three at the buzzer to defeat Washington's defending state champion A.C. Davis in a sold-out exhibition game. She has the coolness to consistently deliver in the clutch — although most of the time, the top-ranked Timberwolves are winning by so much that Best sits out the fourth quarter. She is far more than a shotmaker; Tualatin's aggressive zone defense wouldn't work without her relentless ball pressure and active hands.     For my money, Dawkins is the most physical player in the state. From the opening tip, she is all gas and no brakes. She loves to back her defender down and go to her near-unstoppable dropstep move, and she can finish over either shoulder with touch. She is also one of the state's best rebounders. The thing about Tualatin, though, is that everyone does a little bit of everything. Dawkins is often asked to play face-up, catch and shoot, handle the ball and find open teammates. The Timberwolves defense hasn't lost a step after graduating last year's interior anchor Jordyn Smith, and that is due in large part to Dawkins's ability to set the tone.     Lucas was the player to step into Tualatin's starting five after Smith's departure, and she has seized the opportunity. With the increased role, she has showcased her long-range marksmanship as the Timberwolves' leading three-point shot-taker and shotmaker. She has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen and is undeterred by closeouts. She plays much bigger than her 5'8" size, which has enabled Wes Pappas to use her as more of a stretch forward than a guard. Her tendency to grab offensive rebounds and go right back up with a shot results in tons of free throws, which she knocks down at a high rate. This is a senior who deserves way more recruiting attention, and a first-team nod may be the boost she needs.     Buse plays with an intensity and urgency unmatched by most. Her tremendous lateral quickness and strong lower body make her a nightmare to be guarded by. In addition to being the reigning TRL defensive player of the year, she is also the offensive engine for the no. 2 Lions. She has the ball on a string and never has to look down and take her eyes off the floor while she scans for passing lanes. Buse loves to push the ball in transition after rebounds, and that directly leads to offensive explosions like the Lions' 90-point game against Oregon City on January 30. She just never lets up, and her teammates follow suit.     Jordan's game is silky smooth, and she has all the makings of a future Division I starting point guard. If Buse is the engine, Jordan is the gasoline — she is always a threat to catch fire. When she is feeling herself, she pulls off some audacious moves. She can knock down a one-legged post fadeaway just as easily as she can take you to the rack and finish through contact. She runs the break with ease and can deliver no-look passes on the money. If Tualatin wasn't so dominant, she'd be a lock to repeat as TRL player of the year, but a third straight first-team nod seems all but guaranteed for the future Washington State Cougar.     Arnold's unrelenting commitment to defense sets an example for her team. She never gives up on a play — if she gets beat off the dribble, she is likely coming from behind and hunting for a steal or a block. She seems to take pride in making life hard for the opponent, and she is always celebrating big stops with her teammates. While she isn't a primary scorer, she's been a steady source of offense throughout her Lions career and surpassed 1000 career points in January. The South Dakota School of Mines got a good one.     Every time the Carns drives inside fearlessly, hits her trademark inverted eurostep move and flips up a highlight finish over the tall trees, it feels like she is defying the odds. But percentage-wise, her odds of finishing are pretty high. The 5'0" guard leads the Oregon City roster in most statistical categories, including scoring. Most of the time, she's doing it from beyond the arc, where she tied a school record for threes in a single game with seven against Lebanon back in December. She has great defensive instincts and comes away with tons of steals at the top of the Pioneer full-court press. Carns already made the first team as a sophomore, but this season she has become an even more consistent and polished version of herself.

The regular season has reached the home stretch, and while the Three Rivers League standings look like they will come down to the final week, we've seen more than enough to make some all-conference predictions.