Every day, the players on the Lyndhurst girls basketball team are told about the goal for this season – a NJIC Patriot Division title. But just in case the Golden Bears need any more reminders of that goal, all they have to do is look up at the blank banner inside their gym.
“We say every day our goal is to win a division championship and it hasn’t been done in our school’s history for girls basketball,” second year head coach Dan Kesack said. “We leave the gym, we look at that banner and it’s blank, and we say, why not this group be the first group to achieve that?
They know what the goal is and it’s one game at a time. But ultimately, we’re looking to put a banner up there for this class.”
While Lyndhurst graduates the top three scorers from last season’s 15-11 team, there’s a strong belief that this veteran group with eight seniors can meet that goal.
A big reason for that optimism comes from the return of center Brooke Harper. The 6-foot-1 senior missed all of last season due to injury. Prior to that, Harper had already established herself as one of the best forwards in the NJIC, averaging 11.0 points 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2024 as a sophomore.
“Since she’s a sophomore, she’s gotten bigger and stronger. She’s worked really hard,” said Kesack. “She’s a great scorer. There’s not many bigs in our league with her size and ability, so she’s going to be a tough out for pretty much everybody we play.”
Harper will be joined on the court by four guards as the Bears graduate both starting forwards from last season in Asya Akar, last season’s Jim Hague Observer Athlete of the Year, and 6-foot-1 Jolie Paz-Garcia.
Senior Gianna Lembo is a returning starter, who while already regarded as one of the better defensive players in the league, will also see a bigger role on offense as a guard/forward hybrid.
The point guard position will be handled more by committee after graduating Sam Mayer, a four-year starter.
Mayer’s role will be split among a trio of guards. Senior Julianna Guzman, is a returning starter, who made 18 3-pointers a season ago. Guzman’s expected to be joined in the starting backcourt by freshmen Addison Pallante and Siham Al Sahmarani.
“They all bring a little bit of something different to the table,” Kesack said. “Addison’s a lefty and that’s always different. Juliana’s, more of a slower tempo (guard), but a great passer and a great shooter. And Al Sahmarani, she’s super athletic, very twitchy. She’s tall, she can drive. So all three of them do something a little bit different. “
Depth is a strength for Lyndhurst going into the season, especially at guard.
Sophomore Lena Marino is poised for a big role as the team’s top perimeter defender. Senior Gabriella Bojarski brings some offensive punch off the bench and sophomore Alexa Gibbons is a versatile player who will see time at guard as well as down low in the paint.
Promising sophomore Dani Nicolette gives Lyndhurst a strong shooter off the bench as well as seniors Zeynep Celik and Mylah Campbell.
Seniors Anabella Bojarski, Juliana Gonzalez and Jaleska Anziani bring added depth to the roster, as does sophomore Kiara Soloranzo.
Lyndhurst begins the season on Wednesday when it hosts New Milford before traveling to Waldwick on Friday and Wood-Ridge on Monday, Dec. 22.
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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.)