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Christ the King Contains Molloy

Brandon Williams scored from the perimeter
Brandon Williams scored from the perimeter

MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY – Christ the King is the number one ranked high school team in New York State according to NYHoops.com. On Friday evening on their home court versus archrival Molloy, the Royals proved why they own the top spot, finishing off the Stanners, 66 – 57, with a dose of their own medicine.

The Royals tried to set the tone early with Devin Vanterpool and Dwayne Pierce leading the way. Christ the King managed to amass a seven-point lead early in the first quarter, but Molloy came roaring back. A combination of scoring from 6’4” Jayden James ‘23 along with a commitment to defense by the Stanners knotted the game at 14 apiece entering the second quarter.

James continued his scoring flurry and Molloy soon surged ahead. The Stanners dominated the boards on both ends of the court and their attention to defense was paying off. Mid-range buckets by Brandon Williams countered but Christ the Kings trailed at the half 29 – 28.

Markell Alston
Markell Alston

As the third quarter got underway, the Royals decided to raise their defensive intensity. Markell Alston ‘25 began to get hot from the perimeter while Pierce attacked Molloy in the paint. A 7 – 0 vaulted the Royals ahead and never looked back.

CTK put its depth on display as well, even though Qin Pang, one of its go-to-guys, was on the injured list. 6’9” big man Brandon Gardner ‘23 help further shift the momentum in the Royals favor as he crashed the boards and provided a couple of highlight reel dunks.

Trailing by 9 points at the end of three quarters, Molloy tried to make a final push for the upset spearhead by 6’5” Josh Powell ‘26 but Pierce and Alston were having none of it. Though the Stanners did reduce their deficit to 2 points with 4:09 left in regulation, the Royals pushed back and sealed the deal with a and-I dunk by Gardner.

Pierce led Christ the King with 14 points with Alston and Vanterpool contributing 13 points and 12 points, respectively. James paced Molloy with a game high 22 points.


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