Half Hollow Hills East overcame a slow start and mounted a dominant second-half performance to secure a 57-40 victory over William Floyd.

The game began with Floyd on the front foot, as they opened the contest with a scorching 9-0 run. 5'10" PG JJ Smith (William Floyd HS, NY '26) hit an early three, followed by back-to-back scores from 6’6” C Dahmarion Moses (William Floyd HS, NY ‘25), who was a force in the paint throughout the game. Floyd's defense stifled Hills East's offense, holding them to just 9 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

Floyd continued to press the advantage in the second quarter, with Moses adding more points inside. Despite the continued struggles of Hills East's offense, 6’0” PG Brandon Varlack (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ‘25) helped them claw back into the game with a contested layup and the foul, pulling his team within 4. By halftime, Floyd led 24-20, but Hills East had managed to find some rhythm late in the second frame. Both teams leading scorers 5’9” PG Jermaine King (William Floyd HS, NY ‘25) and 6’2” G Skyler Ellis (Half Hollow Hills HS East, NY ‘26) were held scoreless for the entirety of the first half.

The second half was a different story altogether for Ellis who exploded with 21 points after the break. A 19-10 third-quarter run for Hills East put them ahead 39-34, with Ellis draining back-to-back threes to take control. The momentum continued in the fourth, with Ellis hitting another three-pointer. As Hills East’s defense tightened, they forced turnovers and capitalized, including a dunk from Ellis off a turnover, pushing the lead to 51-38.

For Floyd, the story of the night was the lack of offense from their leading scorer Jermaine King who was held without a point the whole game. Without King leading the offense like normal, they struggled all game to get into any kind of rhythm. Half Hollow Hills East wins the class AAA championship and will now face Port Washington next Sunday at Farmingdale State College for the Long Island Class AAA championship.