Reigning state champion Love Lei Best Love Lei Best 5'7" | PG Tualatin | 2028 State #35 Nation OR combined for 28 points and 12 steals in two playoff wins for No. 1 Tualatin. The sophomore is a sneaky defender, like Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. Regarded by many as the top point guard in the state, Best consistently finds ways to lead Tualatin to victory in big games. The Timberwolves will meet No. 9 West Salem in the quarterfinals on Thursday. With teammate Alex Padilla Alex Padilla 6'0" | PF Tualatin | 2026 State OR out due to injury, some are skeptical of Tualatin’s chances in a potential semifinal matchup against South Medford on Friday.

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.

Love Best is so clutch. The underclassman’s maturity on the court and poise with the ball continue to impress. Best knocked down a buzzer-beater three-pointer to defeat Washington’s 4A reigning champion A.C. Davis in a Holiday Classic Showcase game. The next day, she led her team from the start, totaling 24 points (shooting 60% from the field), including 4 three-pointers made, in a dominant win against nationally ranked Mater Dei. Best averaged 16.7 points and 2.7 assists per game in the Diamond bracket.

Tualatin freshman phenom Love Lei Best Love Lei Best 5'7" | PG Tualatin | 2028 State #35 Nation OR is a high IQ, two-way playmaker who can take over a prep game at the highest level. The 5-foot-7 point guard was named to the 6A All-State First Team. Best picks apart defenses with excellent handles, mobility, and vision. When her tongue is out, you know something fun is about to happen. She’s shifty with a deceptive change of pace to score from all three levels—shaking off the defender for the pull-up three, sneaking by with the floater in the paint, and slipping underneath with the scoop layup. Best creates offense for her teammates and can throw dimes in the paint. She’s a menace on defense and forces costly turnovers that can change the momentum of a game. Best averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 steals per game and was named to the Three Rivers League First Team her freshman year. Best scored a state championship game-high 26 points in a fourth-quarter comeback win against a favored Clackamas team loaded with D1 commits. She averaged 20.7 points (shooting 50% from the field, 67% from three, and 100% from the free-throw line) and 3.7 assists per game at the state tournament and was unanimously named to the All-Tournament First Team.

Tualatin freshman Love Lei Best Love Lei Best 5'7" | PG Tualatin | 2028 State #35 Nation OR is the best high school point guard in Oregon right now. At 5-foot-7, Best can score from all three levels—the pull-up three, the midrange runner/floater, the scoop layup—and she is a creative playmaker with a high basketball IQ. Best has excellent body control and is deceptively calm on the dribble, unfazed by getting picked up full court as she gets her team into its offense. She beats the first defender at her own pace, selling a fake and bursting, or sensing when the defender rests and she blows by. Best pushes the one-handed pass to the wing or makes the bounce pass in the lane to the forward for the assist. She has the crossover, the between, the behind the back, the hesitation, the stutter step, and more in her bag. Best has the instinct to sneak out to receive the long pass for the easy transition bucket. She can be a defensive menace like Hannah Hidalgo, getting in those tight spaces to trap the dribbler and steal the ball from behind. Best averaged 25 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in the two games she played in the Platinum bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.

Another player who will immediately make a huge impact both at Tualatin and across the 6A level is point guard Love Lei Best Love Lei Best 5'7" | PG Tualatin | 2028 State #35 Nation OR . Best is already sitting on several Division 1 offers and will only continue to get better with age and experience. She is the full package at the point guard position with incredible handles and court vision, a complete scoring package, and a natural poise when running the offense for her team.