SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – When JSerra guard Jaiden Bailes made a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining to tie the boys basketball game against Santa Margarita, most people in the gym must have been expecting overtime.
Santa Margarita’s Rodney Westmoreland was not one of those people.
Westmoreland took the inbounds pass from teammate Brayden Kyman, raced down court and fired up a leaning 22-foot shot that banked in at the buzzer to give Santa Margarita a 70-67 win in the Trinity League game at JSerra High.
Santa Margarita forward Drew Anderson, left, hugs guard Luke Scopaz as they celebrate winning their Trinity League basketball game against JSerra in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra guard Hunter Frates, left, and guard Earl Bryson, right, walk away after Santa Margarita won the Trinity League basketball game at the buzzer in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra guard Earl Bryson, center, gets a shot over Santa Margarita forward Drew Anderson in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra guard Earl Bryson dunks the ball early in a Trinity League basketball game against Santa Margarita in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra Coach Keith Wilkinso objects to a call by the referee in a Trinity League basketball game against Santa Margarita in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra guard Jaden Bailes, center, tries to get by Santa Margarita guard Jacob Sears, left, and guard Kaiden Bailey, right, in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita guard Rodney Westmoreland, left, finds an opening to score past JSerra forward Godschoice Eboigbodin in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita guard Kaiden Bailey takes a jump shot against JSerra in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita forward Brayden Kyman, right, and guard Kaiden Bailey wave goodbye to the crowd after the Eagles beat JSerra on a basket at the buzzer in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra forward Ryan Doane protects the rebound against Santa Margarita in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Santa Margarita boys basketball team celebrates after scoring a basket at the buzzer to win the game over JSerra in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita guard Kaiden Bailey drives the ball near the top of the key against JSerra in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita forward Drew Anderson, left, grabs the rebound in front of JSerra forward Godschoice Eboigbodin in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra forward Ryan Doane takes a jump shot over Santa Margarita forward Drew Anderson in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) JSerra guard Hunter Frates, center, has the ball knocked out of his hands by Santa Margarita forward Brayden Kyman in a Trinity League boys basketball game in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 15Santa Margarita forward Drew Anderson, left, hugs guard Luke Scopaz as they celebrate winning their Trinity League basketball game against JSerra in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) ExpandWhen asked afterward if he intended for it to be a bank shot, Westmoreland smiled and said: “The banks are open.”
Santa Margarita, No. 1 in the Orange County Top 25, is 21-3 overall and 1-1 in the Trinity League.
The Eagles needed the win after losing to St. John Bosco in double overtime, 74-73, in a Trinity League game last Friday at Santa Margarita.
JSerra, No. 3 in the county rankings, is 14-9 overall and 1-1 in league. The Lions beat Orange Lutheran, 80-66, in their other league game.
Santa Margarita coach Justin Bell said it was basketball justice that Westmoreland’s shot went in.
“All he cares about is the team,” Bell said. “That’s why it went in.”
Westmoreland said that when Bailes made the game-tying 3-pointer, he was motivated to respond.
“He (Bailes) made a good shot at the end,” Westmoreland said. “We didn’t give up, I ran down, BK (Kyman) hit me, and I saw the rim, shot it and made it.”
Oregon State-signed 6-8 senior forward Drew Anderson scored a game-high 23 points for Santa Margarita. He made three 3-point shots and had seven rebounds.
Jacob Sears scored 13 points and Kyman, a Washington State signee, scored 11 for the Eagles. Both made three 3-point baskets.
Westmoreland, a 6-foot senior, scored 10 points, all in the fourth quarter.
Bailes, who was at St. Augustine last season, led JSerra with 20 points. Earl Bryson, a junior, scored 15 points for the Lions.
JSerra sophomore Ryan Doane scored 13 points with seven rebounds. Bryson also did outstanding defensive work on Santa Margarita’s Kaiden Bailey, holding the All-County Bailey to nine points.
Bailey, who signed with Georgia Tech, did have five assists.
JSerra had the lead for most of the game. The Lions were ahead 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. They had their biggest lead of 14 points, 27-13, in the second quarter and took a 37-33 advantage into halftime.
The Eagles passed JSerra in the third quarter and carried a 52-47 lead into the fourth.
Two free throws by Bailey nudged the Santa Margarita lead to 67-64 with 23 seconds remaining. Then came Bailes’ 3-point jumper – his release point is extraordinarily high on deep shots for a high school player – and then Westmoreland’s dribble-sprint for his winning bank shot.
Both teams played stout defense, aggressive but clean. Open shots were hard to come by.
JSerra’s next game is against Redondo Union on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., part of an all-day showcase at North Torrance High. Redondo Union is No. 4 in the computer-generated CIF Southern Section rankings that have Santa Margarita at No. 3 and JSerra at No. 12.
Santa Margarita’s next game is a league game Wednesday at Servite.
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