Lakewood Ranch is 3-0 against Gulf Coast since February of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Gulf Coast Sharks at 7:00 p.m. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with eight consecutive losses for Lakewood Ranch and three for Gulf Coast.
Lakewood Ranch suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They suffered a rough 69-47 loss at the hands of Sarasota. While losing is never fun, Lakewood Ranch can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 398th, while Sarasota is ranked 24th).
Despite the loss, Lakewood Ranch saw an underclassman step up: David Young dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Leo Henderson, who scored four points along with eight assists and five rebounds.
Gulf Coast lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the defeat they were handed on on Tuesday was a bit more commanding. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 71-50 walloping at the hands of Riverview Sarasota.
Lakewood Ranch's loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 5-13. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.8 points per game. As for Gulf Coast, their loss dropped their record down to 10-10.
Lakewood Ranch was able to grind out a solid victory over Gulf Coast when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 66-58. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lakewood Ranch since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.