Basketball Recap: Sarasota Christian Falls Despite Big Games from Nikki Olupitan and Octavia Stoller

Sarasota Christian and Gulf Coast HEAT squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Sarasota Christian had to settle for second. They took a 52-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gulf Coast HEAT. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against Gulf Coast HEAT this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 60-27 back in January.

Octavia Stoller

Steals (Career)

02/06/25 @ Gulf Coast HEAT	7
01/07/25 @ Southwest Florida Christian	6
01/09/25 vs Gulf Coast HEAT	5
01/16/24 vs Universal Academy	5
01/21/25 vs Foundation Christian Academy	4

Sarasota Christian's loss came despite strong showings from Octavia Stoller and Nikki Olupitan. Stoller posted ten points in addition to eight boards and seven steals, while Olupitan dropped a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Stoller a new career-high in steals.

Even though they lost, Sarasota Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Gulf Coast HEAT was led to victory by Bella Tuccy and Kenna Baker. Tuccy earned 17 points, while Baker had 17 points.

Sarasota Christian has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 9-11 record this season. As for Gulf Coast HEAT, they have been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season.

Sarasota Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Gulf Coast HEAT, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 56-20 defeat against Keswick Christian on the 8th.