Gulf Coast HEAT will challenge the Canterbury Crusaders on Wednesday. Gulf Coast HEAT is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 68.3 points per game this season.
Gulf Coast HEAT is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since December 27, 2023 on Thursday. They had to suffer through a 81-50 loss at the hands of Cardinal Mooney. The match marked Gulf Coast HEAT's lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
| 01/30/25 @ Cardinal Mooney | 18 |
| 01/27/25 vs Sarasota Military Academy | 29 |
| 01/24/25 @ Lakewood Ranch | 17 |
| 01/21/25 @ Sarasota Military Academy | 27 |
| 01/17/25 vs Families Instructing Students HomeSchool | 19 |
Westin Lacey put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 6 of 9 en route to 18 points. His evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Steven Scott was another key player, putting up eight points in addition to seven rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Canterbury rose to the challenge on Monday. They blew past the Lions, posting an 80-49 win. The Crusaders' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Canterbury found their leader in sophomore Jaylen Thomas, who went 8 for 10 on his way to 17 points and six steals. The dominant performance also gave Thomas a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Oliver Forrester, who went 6 of 10 en route to 15 points and six boards.
Canterbury was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Canterbury has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Gulf Coast HEAT, their loss dropped their record down to 13-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gulf Coast HEAT has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Canterbury struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Gulf Coast HEAT against Canterbury in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 63-31 victory. Will Gulf Coast HEAT repeat their success, or does Canterbury have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
