Gulf Coast girls Sharks basketball team 75-game win streak making chum of the competition

Author: SYLVIE SPARKS Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast girls basketball practice. CREDIT: WINK News

Sharks, the apex predators of the ocean, are expanding their hunting grounds to the basketball court since they’ve dominated Collier County since 2016.

The Gulf Coast High School girls basketball team was built from nothing in 1998.

The Sharks are Southwest Florida’s premier program.

The Sharks have been on a feeding frenzy in Collier County. Proving to be at the top of the food chain, the Sharks haven’t lost to another Collier County school since 2016.

“We just have that expectation. We have set the standard. Nobody wants to let down the girls,” said Mark Woodruff, the head coach for the Gulf Coast High School girls basketball team.

It’s been close at times, but eight years in, the Sharks continue sinking their teeth into the competition.

Gulf Coast
Basketball practice. CREDIT: WINK News

“This year, it definitely was closer than previous years. Our Barron win was way closer than we thought, and same with Aubrey Rogers, but we always pull above,” said Sophia Pasquarello, a guard for the sharks in her senior year.

Unphased by the team’s 75-game win streak, every game the girls show what makes them different.

“We don’t get nervous,” said Lilly Fultz, a guard in her junior year for the sharks. “We’re gonna get this game. We’re gonna win because we want to keep the streak alive.”

The team’s motivation swells during practice. Leading one another is what makes the team unstoppable on the court.

Gulf Coast
CREDIT: WINK News

“We push ourselves a lot of the time. We just know our daily schedule and what we need to work on ourselves because, at the end of the day, we’re the ones playing the game, so we know what we need to improve,” said Alex McDonough, a guard for the sharks in her senior year.

Coach Woodruff has been with the program since the school opened in 1998 and has been the head coach for 15 years. The Sharks have made the playoffs in 13 of his 15 years as head coach.

The Sharks are hungry for a deep postseason run in 2024 and want everyone to know that Collier County is Shark territory.

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