The holidays were very good to the Lodi girls basketball team.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone into the new year undefeated,” said coach Alyson Gorski, whose team has opened with four straight wins. “We also won a Christmas tournament for the first time in the four years since I’ve been here. I truly believe there has been a three-season building block leading up to this.”
The Rams have, in fact, made steady progress under Gorski’s guidance. The team won two games in her first season, six in the second and 14 last season.
So, the 4-0 start fits the pattern for a team that has grown up together.
“We’re working hard for everything,” Gorski said. “We’ve set the standards high this season, but we feel we can be a contender in [the NJIC Colonial Division].”
Gorski’s mainstays include senior guard Sukdarshan Kaur, who has averaged 23.7 points per game, including a 31-point effort against Garfield. Gorski also raves about senior point guard Ariella Nunez.
“She’s a silent but deadly player,” Gorski said. “She definitely controls our offense, and her stats don’t show what her presence means to us.”
Senior forward/center Arlene Espinal is Lodi’s top rebounding threat, and junior Liliann Vizcaino has emerged as a top-shelf defender who usually draws the big player on every team.
The Rams have challenged themselves by picking up some bigger teams in non-league matchups, but their first big moment of truth comes Thursday when they host league favorite Glen Rock — the No. 24 team in The Record girls basketball Top 25.
