LAWRENCE, Indiana — Days after making history for the Lawrence Central Bears, Laila Abdurraqib and her teammates are still letting it all sink in.
"It's been amazing," said Abdurraqib, a junior. "We're in the books forever now."
"A student came up to me yesterday and said not only did we win for us, but we won for them, too," said Jaylah Lampley, a junior.
The Lawrence Central girls basketball team won the Class 4A state title over the weekend for the first time in school history.
"It has been a phenomenal feeling. Almost magical," coach Jannon Lampley said. "To see the smiles on the faces of the girls has made me, I feel like a proud mother."
Lampley called the win the result of a season of discipline and laser focus.
"The only way you can play these games is one at a time," Lampley said. "We had a meeting last year and talked about our goals. We put it on paper and said, "This is what we want to do.' And when we returned in August, I reminded them of that ... and then we frequently revisited it."
But Lampley says this biggest-ever win on the court is perhaps more importantly a win off the court, too.
"Our mental sports performance therapist came in and said this championship has re-energized this school. For the community, it's something to be proud of," Lampley said.
And her players are proud of her.
Lampley is the first Black female coach to win an IHSAA girls basketball state championship.
"She's amazing, honestly," Abdurraqib said. "She's like another mom to me. She helped me grow up and taught me a lot of life lessons."
Lampley says she hopes it inspires others.
"We're still knocking down barriers," Lampley said. "Showing girls that you can do this too, even when they say its impossible. It's only impossible until someone does it."
Lampley says she's looking forward to growing the school's feeder program and motivating parents to play a key role in their children's development. She attributes player success to "great parenting."
"Success on the basketball court starts at home," Lampley said. "We believe a champion and a varsity player conducts themselves a certain way."