With a 34-20 record over the past two seasons and 46 wins over the past three, there’s no denying that the standard has been raised significantly for the North Arlington girls basketball program.
The challenge now is to maintain it with a younger group of players, many of whom weren’t a part of the original build up of the program.
So while the graduation of three-year starters Skyla Acosta, Lia Cruz and Sophia Veloso will certainly be felt on and off the court, head coach Brendan Queenan has made it clear to this roster, which includes four freshmen, that the bar has not been lowered in the slightest.
“The standard won’t change and we emphasize that every day in practice that they need to get there,” said Queenan, who begins his fifth season as Vikings’ head coach. “The freshmen have not won a game in a North Arlington uniform. They’re not going to be riding the coattails of people who won a Christmas tournament or 15, 16 games (in a season), they haven’t done that. They have to prove that they can do that and be a part of this group and contribute to that culture that we’ve built over the last few years.”
Bridging that gap is between the old and the new is senior guard Kyra Garcia, a three-year starter. The 5-foot-5 Garcia does a little bit of everything on the court as she averaged 6.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game last season and is being counted upon to lead the way this year.
“She’s the leader of the team and there’s no question about it,” Queenan said. “In end of game situations, the ball will be in her hands, no questions asked. She has earned that right throughout the course of her four years here.
“She’s an amazing person and easy to coach. She’s definitely crucial to our success.”
Another returning starter is junior Lyndsay Gilbert at point guard. Both Gilbert and Garcia will be asked to score more than a season ago.
Junior Charlize Torres, who according to Queenan is “probably our best defensive player,” and senior Shelby McCann both enter the starting line after being top reserves off the bench the previous two seasons. The four guards will also serve as North Arlington’s captains.
Junior Sophia Poremba, sophomore Amayah Saunders and freshman Alyssa Sousa are also expected to see plenty of time at the guard spots off the bench.
At the center spot, is 5-foot-10 freshman Ava Friere, who has shown an advanced feel on the offensive side.
“She can score in bunches,” said Queenan. “I think she can score as a freshman the way Skyla did last year as a senior. She’s got a couple dimensions to her offensive game.”
Another promising young big, 6-foot-0 sophomore Madison Kornas is also set to see meaningful minutes as she continues to work her way back from ACL surgery last winter.
North Arlington opens its season on Tuesday, Dec. 17 against Garfield before road contests at Wallington on Thursday and Harrison on Saturday.
The Vikings will once again host the William Ferguson Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28. North Arlington will play University Charter of Jersey City in the first round with the winner facing the Lakeland-Bergen Tech winner for the championship.
“I think they have confidence that they can win (this season),” Queenan said. “They understand that winning is really hard and winning the way we did the last two years was particularly hard. But they’re up to it and they think they can get close to 16, 17 wins.”
Learn more about the writer ...
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)