Basketball Game Preview: Gulf Coast HEAT vs. Out-of-Door Academy Thunder

Gulf Coast HEAT just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Out-of-Door Academy Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Gulf Coast HEAT has three straight wins, Out-of-Door Academy has eight straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Gulf Coast HEAT is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They really took it to Sarasota Christian for the full four quarters, racking up a 60-27 victory. Gulf Coast HEAT has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 21 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Gulf Coast HEAT to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kenna Baker, who posted 23 points. Those 23 points gave Baker a new career-high. Audriana Colten was another key player, putting up 19 points.

Meanwhile, Out-of-Door Academy came up short against Admiral Farragut on Wednesday and fell 27-19.

Gulf Coast HEAT pushed their record up to 10-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.0 points per game. As for Out-of-Door Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.

Everything came up roses for Gulf Coast HEAT against Out-of-Door Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 53-18 victory. In that game, Gulf Coast HEAT amassed a halftime lead of 28-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.