Naples hasn't had much luck against Gulf Coast recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Naples Golden Eagles will face off against the Gulf Coast Sharks at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Naples will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Barron Collier, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Naples came out on top in a nail-biter against Barron Collier on Tuesday, sneaking past 44-41. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Golden Eagles have posted since December 14, 2023.
Naples got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Juliana Argueta out in front who posted ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaliyah Tiberio, who put up seven points along with five boards and five steals.
Meanwhile, Gulf Coast waltzed into their game on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 56-18 win over the Titans. The Sharks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Naples better keep an eye on Lilly Fultz. She was instrumental in Gulf Coast's win, putting up 21 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Fultz has scored at least a third of Gulf Coast's points. Kiara Rakes was another key player, posting 13 points.
Gulf Coast's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points per game. As for Naples, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-12.
Naples took a serious blow against Gulf Coast when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 61-29. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Naples was down 36-12.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
