The Canterbury Crusaders will face off against Gulf Coast HEAT on Wednesday. Canterbury will be strutting in after a victory while Gulf Coast HEAT will be coming in after a defeat.
Canterbury is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lakeside Christian 80-49. The Crusaders' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
| 02/03/25 vs Lakeside Christian | 4 |
| 01/16/25 vs Sarasota Military Academy | 3 |
| 01/31/25 vs Foundation Christian Academy | 2 |
| 01/28/25 @ Lakeside Christian | 2 |
| 01/10/25 vs Lakeside Christian | 2 |
Canterbury found their leader in sophomore Jaylen Thomas, who went 8 of 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 for 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.
Meanwhile, Gulf Coast HEAT played a tough contest on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt an 81-50 loss at the hands of Cardinal Mooney. Gulf Coast HEAT was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 52-23.
Canterbury will have to contain Westin Lacey as he made an impact in Gulf Coast HEAT's last game. He went 6 of 9 on his way to 18 points. The matchup was Lacey's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Steven Scott was another key player, putting up eight points along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
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. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Gulf Coast HEAT, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Canterbury has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gulf Coast HEAT struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Canterbury took a serious blow against Gulf Coast HEAT in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 63-31. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Scott, who dropped a double-double on 30 points and 19 rebounds. Now that Canterbury knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
