The RedHawks are our No. 2 ranked team on Long Island, and they traveled to North Babylon for a league matchup. While Half Hollow Hills HS East is at the top of conference AAA3 the Bulldogs aren’t far behind. Let’s break down this terrific Suffolk County matchup.
HHillsEast captain 6’0” PG Brandon Varlack (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ’25) started aggressive, got fouled, split a pair at the line and North Babylon turned it over. Varlack knocked down two more free throws, and the Redhawk’s kept pressing with, 6’0” PG Kameron Quinn (North Babylon HS, NY ‘25) scoring.
Hills East 6’7” F Jordan Cador (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ‘25) answered with a bucket but the dogs drew a foul. They split it, and 6’1” SG Jake Walsh (North Babylon HS, NY ‘26) drilled a three. Hills East 6’4” SG Skyler Ellis (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ‘26) knocked down a three for the Hawks but Walsh banked one in from the top of the key.
Hills East never got rattled, 6’3” SG Sunjay Sharma (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ‘25) connected on a three. Jake Walsh hit another three erupting Bulldog nation. Ellis finished a miss for two. Varlack finished a tough layup after a Bulldog miss, but Quinn responded with a big slam. Jake Walsh hit two free throws. Hills East scored then block North Babylon at the buzzer taking a 17-16 lead after the first quarter.
North Babylon got another three from Jake Walsh, East missed, and the Bulldogs scored. However, the RedHawks answered back. The defense broke down, but North Babylon missed, and Ellis made two free throws. Quinn converted a huge and1, but Ellis buried a three. Quinn knocked down a triple, Jake Walsh hit one too before Ellis went on a 4-0 run. Walsh’s twin brother scored, and Ellis rattled a triple. East stripped North Babylon for two and the Bulldogs turned it over again with Ellis hitting a huge three.
Jake Walsh got free for two, Ellis blew by the defense for two plus the foul. Quinn split the pair and North Babylon found themselves somehow down 40-35 despite hitting a ton of threes. They unfortunately ran into Ellis who got red hot giving Hills East the lead. Sharma started the third quarter with a three, Jake Walsh scored, and East missed. Quinn finished a layup, but Cador scored for the Red Hawks. North Babylon hit a corner three, Sharma scored inside and then again after a Bulldog turnover. Quinn found a teammate for three, Cador made two free throws, and Jake Walsh scored. East scored and Jake Walsh added a free throw to end the quarter.
Hills Eats led 53-48, they really picked up the pressure and it led to an 8-0 run featuring Cador and Ellis. Quinn got North Babylon on the board but missed the freebie. Varlack and Quinn traded free throws. Then the Redhawk’s slipped by the press for an easy layup. They went up by double digits. North Babylon missed, and Ellis scored the benches were emptying. Varlack posterized a defender while getting fouled to end the starters night and any chance of a North Babylon comeback.
The Final was 70-56 as the Redhawk’s remain undefeated so far this season. They have a ton of balance scoring wise plus this staff will feed the hot hand like they did for Ellis. He finished with a game high 27 points. Cador and Sharma had 10 points apiece. Varlack flirted with a double-double. Jake Walsh had an incredible night with 24 points while Quinn had an impressive 17 points. We really respect both the programs and their coaching staffs. Hills East wins round one, but this could definitely be a matchup to watch moving forward.
