Christ The King takes B/Q title
BY ZACH SMART
Christ The King dealt with a whirlwind of adversity during the regular season.
The traditional CHSAA “AA” power had a sudden roster re-tooling after a pair of 11th hour departures prior to the season.
They underwent a four-game freefall mid-way through the season, with a pair of unsightly losses causing some doubt to surface among skeptics.
Despite the turbulence, however, Christ The King once again landed at the top as the 2026 Brooklyn/Queens champion.
Buoyed by an engine of resilience and determination which allowed them to gut out a wild, 3OT 101-98 victory over St. Francis Prep in the B/Q semifinals, CTK sustained the momentum roll with a 68-53 victory over Holy Cross in the final.
It is Christ The King’s 13th BQ championship and the eighth during head coach Joe Arbitiello’s time at the helm.
Class of 2028 two-guard Skyler Ragoo, who has rapidly evolved into a top tier 3-point shooter, scored 20 points to lead the way for the Royals.
After a quiet first half, 2027 guard and LaSalle-commit Johnny Magna scored 15 points (including 13 during a decisive second half surge).
Magna, who shoulders an important jack of all trades role while orchestrating the offensive flow for this Christ The King team, had a pair of traditional 3-point plays and critical free throws down the stretch.
While conventional wisdom may have indicated CTK would have a dearth of bigs following the departure of 6-foot-11 Stra Zelic, the program has reloaded inside by nurturing the development of an underrated 2026 Center in 6-foot-11, 240-pound Filip Runjo.
A space eater who has steadily emerged into a catch and post presence, Runjo knocked down a crucial 3-pointer during the first overtime against St. Francis Prep.
Runjo has expanded his all around game while refining his inside play and still growing back to the rim arsenal.
Aaron Ellis, who holds offers from Wagner, Manhattan, and LaSalle, catalyzed the Royals with his spurt-ability and shooting touch during this BQ conquest.
Ellis erupted in the second half at Archbishop Molloy, splashing six 3-pointers and nearly lifting the lid off the gym with a thunderous one handed transition dunk.
Magna chose LaSalle over TCU, Arizona State, Texas A & M, East Carolina, Fairfield, and others.
LaSalle was sold on Magna after he ascended the national scoring leaders mountaintops in the ultra-competitive EYBL this summer, turning in a 29-point performance with the NY Lightning during Peach Jam.
Having tapped into the New York City market thoroughly, LaSalle also offered the aforementioned Ragoo.
“Its exhilarating to win this championship,” Magna said.
“So many people doubted us, counted us out. Doubted myself my teammates, and we just had to make them pay.”
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