The Gulf Buccaneers came tearing into Thursday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Fivay by a score of 43-35. That's another feather in the cap for Gulf, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Gulf's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ariana Rodriguez led the charge by dropping a double-double on 10 points and 11 rebounds. Rodriguez is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. Brenniyah Hall was another key contributor, scoring 8 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
Jordana Montaner Rodgers and Malia Shuler certainly did their best on Thursday to try and avoid the loss. Montaner Rodgers scored 12 points along with 6 steals and 4 blocks, while Shuler scored 3 points along with 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. Montaner Rodgers scored a full 34.3% of Fivay's points, the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Even though they lost, Fivay were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gulf only pulled down 27.
Gulf has yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 4-1 record. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.0 points per game. As for Fivay, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Gulf will challenge Tarpon Springs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fivay's road trip will continue as they head out to face Classical Prep at 6:00 p.m. on December 8th.
