The Gulf Coast Sharks will take on the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Gulf Coast knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Lakewood Ranch likes a good challenge.
Gulf Coast fought the good fight in their overtime match against Palmetto Ridge on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 71-66 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bears. The defeat was just more heartbreak for the Sharks who fell 58-55 when the teams previously met back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Lakewood Ranch suffered their closest loss since December 11, 2023 on Thursday. They fell just short of Southeast by a score of 48-45. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Seminoles recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Lakewood Ranch's defeat dropped their record down to 3-11. As for Gulf Coast, their loss dropped their record down to 9-8.
Gulf Coast strolled past Lakewood Ranch in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a score of 77-62. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lakewood Ranch's James Butler, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Gulf Coast still be able to contain Butler? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
