Half Hollow Hills East boys basketball showcases 'insane' depth in win over Bellport
Ryan Zeh of Half Hollow Hills East, left, gets congratulated by teammate Rajveer Gujral after checking out of the game with 17 points and five rebounds in a Suffolk League III boys basketball matchup against Bellport at Half Hollow Hills East on Thursday. Credit: James Escher
Half Hollow Hills East boys basketball takes pride in its ability to score in bunches, and from several different players.
Hills East showed an unselfish brand of basketball that led to an explosive scoring output against Bellport Thursday, a formula that has been crucial to a potentially special season in the making.
Guard Ryan Zeh had 17 points, guard Skyler Ellis had 16 points and guard Brandon Varlack had 14 points as Hills East held off visiting Bellport for a 75-66 Suffolk League III victory.
“Our depth is insane,” Zeh said. “We can go 10 deep and still have 80 points a game. I mean, it’s unreal to have this type of team.”
Hills East (12-3, 10-1) scored 20 points in each of the first two quarters and 21 in the third. Its season scoring average is up to 69.7 points.
“That’s the type of pace we want to play,” Hills East coach Mike Marcelin said. “We want to play fast, we want to get the ball to anybody. These guys are unselfish, they don’t care who scores. We have a new leading scorer probably every game, and we’re worried about the win.”
Seven different players have been either the solo or joint leading scorer in an individual game for Hills East this season.
“You don’t know who to scout for,” Marcelin said. “You scout for Zeh, Skyler goes off in the first half and Zeh comes out with a great second half. [Jordan] Heyman, Brandon [Varlack], a bunch of guys who can score for us. So it’s easier for us when a team can’t take one guy out of the equation.”
Zeh scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Ellis hit four three-pointers in the first half. Heyman – a Newsday top 100 selection and Hills East’s star quarterback this past fall – scored four points, but had eight assists.
Forward Sean Glynn had a big showing for Bellport (7-8, 6-5), scoring 22 points. Thursday marked Glynn’s 10th game with at least 15 points and his third game with at least 20.
Hills East notched its eighth straight win Thursday, separating itself by two wins in the Suffolk III standings over Smithtown West (12-1, 8-1). Hills East and Smithtown West already split their season series.
Hills East improved to 7-0 at home, capitalizing on Marcelin’s goal to “protect our home court” each game. Zeh talked about the team’s goals to secure the league title first, then move toward capturing the Long Island crown.
Said Zeh: “We’re gonna be scary.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
