The Gulf Coast Sharks waltzed into their matchup on Monday with five straight wins but they left with six. They walked away with a 51-41 victory over Palmetto Ridge. Given Gulf Coast's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while Palmetto Ridge is ranked 340th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Gulf Coast to victory were Sophia Pasquarello and Lilly Fultz. Pasquarello scored 16 points along with three steals, while Fultz scored 19 points. That's the first time this season that Pasquarello scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Alex Mcdonough, who scored a point along with five assists and three steals.
Palmetto Ridge's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Melody Charlton, who scored 24 points along with two steals, and Haley Cousins who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. Charlton continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Palmetto Ridge struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Gulf Coast racked up 14 assists.
Gulf Coast pushed their record up to 15-4 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Palmetto Ridge, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-8 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Gulf Coast the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Lemon Bay at 7:00 p.m. on January 30th. Palmetto Ridge will take on Golden Gate at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
