Basketball Game Preview: Palmetto Ridge Bears vs. Gulf Coast Sharks

Palmetto Ridge is 0-10 against Gulf Coast since December of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Palmetto Ridge Bears will venture away from home to take on the Gulf Coast Sharks at 7:00 p.m. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Melody Charlton and Lilly Fultz.

Palmetto Ridge is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Aubrey Rogers on Tuesday. Palmetto Ridge received a blow as they fell 50-36 to Aubrey Rogers. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 230th, while the Patriots are ranked 100th).

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast beat Lely 48-37 on Tuesday.

Palmetto Ridge better focus on containing Kiara Rakes and Jena Walsh as the pair were huge in Gulf Coast's win. Rakes posted 11 points, while Walsh earned 11 points.

Palmetto Ridge's loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-6. As for Gulf Coast, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.

Palmetto Ridge took a serious blow against Gulf Coast when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 63-29. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Fultz, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 17 points along with five boards and four blocks. Now that Palmetto Ridge knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.