INDIANAPOLIS — Lake Central coach Joe Huppenthal, not unlike the rest of us, honestly, seemed almost in awe at what he'd just witnessed. The Indians played reasonably well through the first stretch of Saturday's Class 4A state final, but then Lawrence Central began "playing ping-pong" off the boards (39-19 rebounding advantage; 23 second-chance points), knocking down shots (22-for-47 from the field, 4-for-10 from 3) and forcing turnovers (13).

Lake Central led after a quarter and was still in it at halftime, but same as Lawrence Central has done all season: "They decide it's go-time and there's nothing you can do."

'We just made history.' Lawrence Central caps dominating season with convincing title win

Turns out, the early punch in the mouth was what Lawrence Central needed before it could settle in and run away for a 55-28 win.

With six seniors on Lake Central's roster, Jaylah Lampley and her teammates knew Indians would throw the initial haymaker. It was up to the Bears to punch back.

"We took that first swing, went back in the timeout and realized we had to pick it up," said Lawrence Central sophomore Lola Lampley. "It's easier said than done, but we knew the mentality, knew what we wanted and had to go get it."

As the shooters found their footing, the defense began taking hold with coach Jannon Lampley cycling through defenses to take Lake Central out of its half-court offense. "That's where they give you trouble," Huppenthal said, listing off the various looks they saw: Man, the 2-2-1, the 1-2-2. "They sped us up. And I don't want to say we fell in the trap, we worked on it all week. But until you see their length and those hard traps (it's tough to figure out)."

Every little Lake Central mistake was magnified, but even if you were to clean those up and knock a few field goals off Lawrence Central's 47% mark from the field, it still may not have made much of a difference.

Lawrence Central is just that good.

Saturday's dominating finish brought into focus the entirety of the 2023-24 Bears' body of work and within it, their sliding doors moment; the first real sign this team was different and ready for the state championship stage.

It came in the final seconds of the Marion County quarterfinals vs. rival Lawrence North. Laila Abdurraqib intercepted the baseline inbounds pass and laid it in with 12 seconds left, finishing off a 9-0 run and lifting the Bears to an electrifying 57-55 win. It felt significant even in the immediate aftermath, the mark of a team that had paid its dues over the past couple seasons and was ready to make its much-anticipated arrival.

The Bears had learned to win. "We're not the same as we were last year," Abdurraqib pledged afterwards.

"It was a good teaching moment," Jaylah said. "We watched film, prepared and learned from our mistakes (from that game), which helped us prepare for other teams and know what it means to value every single possession."

Lawrence Central's next closest in-state finish was a three-point win over those same Wildcats on Jan. 11, then a seven-point win at North Central on Jan. 16. It won its seven state tournament games by a combined score of 404-243.

The crowning achievement on the season's biggest stage was another demonstration in dominance, the fulfillment of expectations and, with everyone set to return next season: A statement performance.

Folks, this is only the beginning.

Jannon Lampley wasn't ready to look ahead during her postgame interview on the Jumbotron — I just want to get some rest, she laughed — but even while celebrating what this team accomplished in bringing Lawrence Central girls basketball to statewide relevancy, it's hard not to peek what could be ahead for this program.

Abdurraqib and Jaylah Lampley should be at or near the top of everyone's 2025 IndyStar Miss Basketball watch lists, and it's not difficult to craft arguments in favor of both players.

Want a sneak peek at the way-too-early Fab 15? OK: It'll start with Lawrence Central, which — again — returns everyone and could surpass the 2023-24 outfit in conversations with 2022 Noblesville and 2023 South Bend Washington as the very best in recent memory.

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More: Laila Abdurraqib 'breathes life into that team.' Now, LC in rarefied air at state finals.

Fine. Let's shift focus back to Saturday.

Lawrence Central went 12-11 under Antoine Wynne in 2021-22 (Jaylah Lampley and Abdurraqib's freshman season), marking its second winning season in three years, but only its third since 2002-03.

It won 17 games a year later, before bowing out to Warren Central in the sectional quarterfinals.

This year's team won its first sectional game since 2001 and first sectional title since 1987, then advanced beyond regionals for the first time in program history.

"It shows the younger generation that no matter where you go, if you have the mindset and the culture, you can do anything," Abdurraqib said when asked about how far this program has come. "Just keep working hard, keep believing and keep praying. It's been about nine years since we took a small group and our goal was to build a team. That's me, Jaylah, Lola, Aniyah — we took this program and we built it. We're going to keep it that way."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana girls basketball: Lawrence Central title just the beginning