The Palmetto Ridge Bears came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 55-53 win over Gulf Coast. Given Palmetto Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while Gulf Coast is ranked 280th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Calven Charles continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 27 points and 11 rebounds. He hasn't dropped below two blocks for 13 straight games. Jaden Brightmon was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Palmetto Ridge's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-2. As for Gulf Coast, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 10-9.
Palmetto Ridge won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Sarasota at 4:20 p.m. on January 20th. Sarasota will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak. Gulf Coast will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Riverview Sarasota at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Riverview Sarasota has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 213 points over their last three matches.
