Alyssa Studdert's three-pointer as time expires wins it for Half Hollow Hills East

There was no celebration needed for Alyssa Studdert when the ball went through the net following her winning basket. She knew seconds before she had won the game.

"When I shot it, I saw the arc and I knew right away it was going in," Studdert said. "Everyone says you have to act like you’ve been there before and that’s kind of what you have to do in those big moments, so I just let everybody around me get super hyped."

The senior guard appeared to be the coolest person in the gym after hitting a three-pointer as time expired to give host Half Hollow Hills East a 46-45 victory over Huntington in Suffolk League III girls basketball Monday. She didn’t jump around or sprint the court in celebration – she walked off and braced for impact as her teammates rushed her.

"Obviously, I’m super excited," Studdert said. "It was a huge team win, so I just let that kind of soak in. I don’t need to get psyched for myself visibly."

Studdert made the inbounds pass in front of the Hills East bench following a timeout with 2.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Thunderbirds trailing 45-43. The play was designed to come back to her, as Studdert rushed to the corner and sank the winning basket off an assist from Rose Azmoudeh as time expired.

"She’s the toughest athlete I’ve ever coached," coach Adam Cirnigliaro said. "She’s just so mentally tough and that’s the kid you want to have the ball in that moment."

It didn’t appear early as if this would be the Thunderbirds’ day. Huntington opened a 12-3 lead after the first quarter and led 25-14 at halftime.

"The first half I wasn’t sure we were ever going to score," Cirnigliaro said. "Their defense was by far the toughest we’ve faced but I’m just really proud of the resiliency of the girls in the second half."

Destiny Stewart scored eight of her 16 points in the third quarter as Half Hollow Hills East cut Huntington’s lead to 42-37 after the third quarter.

"I just have to thank my teammates because even when my shot isn’t at my best, they hype me up and give me confidence and tell me to keep shooting," said Stewart, who made four three-pointers. "So it’s thanks to them."

The Half Hollow Hills East defense held Huntington to just three points in the fourth quarter – five weeks after losing to Huntington by 23 points. Now both teams are tied for first in Suffolk III at 11-1.

"We’ve grown tremendously over the season and it just shows we have the grit and we’re going to come back," said Studdert, who scored 12 points on four three-pointers. "We’re going to dig deep and get those stops. If we can come back with that deficit against a good team, I think it means we are ready for playoff contention."

And her teammates had complete faith in Studdert in the final moments.

"She’s the most clutch athlete on Long Island, in New York actually," Stewart said. She’s absolutely amazing. She’s very calm and collected. The rest of us were jumping all over her and even when she was on the ground, she was still calm."