Leyla Barrett's long-range shooting helps Half Hollow Hills East girls sink Northport
Hills East’s Leyla Barrett has stopped pressuring herself and now has 43 three-pointers this season. She had five on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, against Northport. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
For Half Hollow Hills East senior Leyla Barrett, averaging a handful of three-pointers a game has become a new normal.
She finished her junior season with 23 threes, but after a 54-33 Suffolk III win over Northport on Tuesday night, and 21 points and five three-pointers from Barrett, she has already nearly doubled that total (43) and has earned a spot as one of the top three-point shooters in Suffolk County.
“I’m so proud of that kid,” Half Hollow Hills East coach Adam Cirnigliaro said. “It’s just those tens of thousands of shots she’s taking in the offseason, I’m just really happy she’s seeing the fruits of her labor.”
It made sense that scoring was kicked off with a deep three from Barrett.
“I used to always put so much pressure on myself to get the ball into the basket,” Barrett said. “Until this year. I kind of learned that if I just relax and let it happen, more shots are going to fall.”
After falling behind the Tigers (9-4) halfway through the first, it was sophomore Ariela Hamilton who was able to bring them back. She finished out the first quarter with back-to-back three-pointers and totaled nine of the RedHawks’ 14 first-quarter points.
“She’s always a boost in our energy,” Barrett said of Hamilton. “When she starts to get hyped, we all start getting hyped and the energy definitely leads to more shots.”
The second quarter was all about defense. The RedHawks kept Northport scoreless until the final two minutes of the half, extending their lead to 12.
“The biggest thing for us was focusing on taking away their key player,” Hamilton said. “Defense is always something we emphasize in practice.”
“I thought our defense was off the charts,” Cirnigliaro said. “A big goal for us was trying to eliminate as many threes as possible.”
The RedHawks’ defense did just that. Northport hit just three three-pointers all game. They all came from senior Isabella Bica, who finished with nine points.
With two three-pointers from Barrett and three layups from senior Alex Brown, the RedHawks took a 44-20 lead following the third quarter and were able to hold over a 20-point lead for the remainder of the game.
Brown finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“This league is brutal, and every game has been really tough,” Cirnigliaro said. “Getting a win, especially with someone who was tied with us, is really important. It gives us a little bit of breathing room at the moment.”
After winning six consecutive games, Barrett hopes the streak for Half Hollow Hills East (9-3) never stops.
“Nobody wants our season to end,” she said. “Our season ended too early last year, so we all have the same mentality as getting as far as possible and doing whatever it takes.”
