Lumen Christi High School boys, girls basketball make history

The Lumen Christi High School girls and boys basketball teams captured the Peninsula Conference Championship and finished the year as the third-best Class 1A team at the Alaska State Activities Association state tournament in Anchorage in March.

“From the start of the season to its finish, our boys and girls basketball players, especially our seniors from the Class of 2022, exemplified our core values of Faith, Family, and Excellence both on the court and off,” said Lumen Christi principal Brian Ross. “Our entire Lumen community is so very proud of our student-athletes.”

The third-place finish for the Lady Archangels was the best performance in school history for a girl’s team.

In his last season, Lumen Christi head coach and Peninsula Conference Coach of the Year, Tom Gregory, led the young team to a 19-6 record. Four of those losses came at the hands of much bigger schools; two were Class 3A and two were Class 2A.

Seniors Sabrina Warren and Jamie Estes are the only two players who won’t be returning next season. So, whoever steps in to lead the Lady Archangels in the 2022-2023 season will have strong leadership from expected returners, such as junior Natalie Grubba, who was named 1st Team 1A All-State and Peninsula Conference co-MVP; junior Emily Ross, who made the Peninsula Conference All-Conference Team; and freshman Amara Warren, who was awarded 2nd Team 1A All-State, Peninsula Conference co-MVP, and Class 1A State All-Tournament Team.

“I set high expectations for our team and each individual player, not only with basketball, but also scholastics, home life, and taking care of each other no matter what,” said Gregory, who plans to move out of state with his family after retiring from the military this spring. “Even though we didn’t bring home a state title this year, these young women have exceeded my expectations. They should be very proud of themselves, as I couldn’t be any prouder of them. They are a great bunch of women and I have no doubt they will continue their successes in the future.”

Returning three of their five starters from the 2021 Class 1A Championship team, the Archangels finished the boys season with a 22-5 record, with three of those losses from large Class 4A Anchorage area schools. Their only loss in the state tournament this past March was to the eventual Class 1A Champions, Nelson Island School of Toksook Bay, a Yup’ik village near Bethel in Southwest Alaska.

The Lumen Archangels boys’ team will be losing six seniors who have led the team with dynamic play and strong bench support. Those graduating this year include seniors Brendon Gregory, Tim Bennett, Robert Wilcox, Liam Thomson, Joseph Moriarty, and Jack Murkowski.

Multi-year starters Gregory, Bennett, and Wilcox led the team offensively and defensively throughout their careers. Following Brenden Gregory’s achievements — such as scoring more than 1,500 career points and setting a school-record 51-point game in February — he was recognized as the 2022 Class 1A Boys Player of the Year, the second player in Lumen’s history.

Additionally, along with teammate, Tim Bennett, Gregory was named to the Class 1A All-State Team, Class 1A State All-Tournament Team, and co-MVP of the Peninsula Conference. Additionally, Bennett scored over 1,000 of his own throughout high school. Rounding out the “Big Three”, Wilcox was an All-Conference 1st team player and was named to the 2nd team Class 1A All-State team.

The boys head coach and former East High School standout, Adam Trombley, was recognized by his peers and media as not only the Peninsula Conference Coach of the Year but also the State Class 1A Boys Coach of the Year.

“We demand that each player push themselves to compete at their highest level of competition. To compete against themselves to run the system to the best of their capability,” Trombley said summarizing the season. “The team’s success is a byproduct of the requirement that each kid successfully implements those two principles.”’