Basketball Game Preview: Gulf Coast HEAT vs. Cardinal Mooney Cougars

Gulf Coast HEAT will head out on the road to challenge the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Gulf Coast HEAT's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Gulf Coast HEAT is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Sarasota Military Academy 92-37 on Monday. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 48-22.

Gulf Coast HEAT's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Westin Lacey, who went 13 for 18 en route to 29 points along with six assists and five steals. The contest was Lacey's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Steven Scott, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 19 boards.

Gulf Coast HEAT smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney posted their closest win since December 4, 2024 on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 58-56 victory over Riverview Sarasota. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.

Gulf Coast HEAT has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.4 points per game. As for Cardinal Mooney, their win bumped their record up to 22-2.