Gulf Coast had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They strolled past the Naples Golden Eagles with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 50-33. Given the Sharks' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jena Walsh
| 02/07/25 vs Naples | 19 |
| 12/07/24 @ South Dade | 16 |
| 01/17/25 @ Aubrey Rogers | 14 |
| 01/31/25 vs Ida Baker | 13 |
| 01/27/25 @ Lehigh | 12 |
Gulf Coast found their leader in sophomore Jena Walsh, who posted 19 points in addition to six steals and five assists. Those 19 points set a new season-high mark for Walsh. Lilly Fultz was another key player, putting up 12 points and three steals.
Naples' loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaydriana Vilsaint, who had nine points. The team also got some help courtesy of Arianna Noda, who earned nine points and five rebounds.
Gulf Coast is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. As for Naples, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-16.
Looking ahead, Gulf Coast will square off against East Bay at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with East Bay sitting on five straight wins and Gulf Coast on three. Naples does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
