INDIANAPOLIS — Lake Central’s Nadia Clayton made a slick move early in the second quarter of the Class 4A state championship game Saturday night.
Clayton went behind her back as she drove for a layup.
“Finally on offense,” she said. “But it didn’t mean anything because we still lost.”
Indeed, that basket by the 5-foot-8 senior guard/forward gave the Indians an 11-4 lead with 7:49 left in the second quarter after they had jumped out to 6-0 and 9-2 advantages.
But they couldn’t sustain it against top-ranked Lawrence Central in a 55-28 loss.
After Clayton’s basket, Lake Central (26-5) went scoreless for the rest of the half as Lawrence Central (30-1) scored 19 straight points to lead 23-11 and added the opening four points of the third quarter before junior forward Ayla Krygier’s runner with 6:07 left in the period.
Junior guard Vanessa Wimberly paced the Indians with 14 points.
“We tried to stop the bleeding, and we couldn’t,” Wimberly said. “Those are some good girls, very athletic. I tip my hat to them. Well-deserved. All respect to that team. They beat us.”
Lawrence Central won its first state title after also having won its first regional and semistate titles this season. Its only other sectional championship came in 1987.
The Indians returned to the state championship game for the first time since 1998.
“It’s a loss, but I thank God for this opportunity,” Wimberly said. “I soaked it up. We were on a big stage. It’s not how we wanted it to end, but I’m glad we got this far with a team that loves each other.”
Lake Central progressed over the course of three seasons, reaching a regional final in 2022, a semistate final in 2023 and this state final.
“It feels great to be here, but this has been our dream to win,” Clayton said. “We expected ourselves to be here, but to win it. That’s why we’re so upset. We know this is amazing to accomplish, going to state. But we’ve been talking about this since fifth grade. We just wanted to win.
“Everything we’ve been through, we’ve been together for so long, we just had that chemistry, and it continued on. We just kept getting better.”
Lake Central’s roster includes six seniors, including three starters in Clayton, forward Aniyah Bishop and guard Riley Milausnic. Each one is committed to Purdue Northwest.
“It all starts with our seniors,” Lake Central coach Joe Huppenthal said. “I constantly doubted them any time the chips were down, and every time they were in a funk or you doubted them, they bounced back. That talks about the character of those kids. There are six seniors that we’re going to miss dearly.
“I can only thank them, their parents and their families for getting our program to this spot because not everybody gets to this spot. Losing sucks. But at the end of the day, you also have to look at the big picture of what these kids accomplished. It’s hard to tell a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kid that right now after they just got their butt beat.”
One of those seniors, guard Kennedie Burks, was named the Mental Attitude Award winner.
“It means a lot that my coaches, principals and the administrators see the hard work I put in on and off the court,” Burks said. “It doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Huppenthal praised Burks for putting the team first.
“There’s no more deserving kid on our team than Kennedie,” he said. “In this day and age, it’s a me-first kind of thing. It’s our society.
“Kennedie wasn’t that kid. Kennedie never said a word. Kennedie came to work every day. … That kid’s special and will be successful in whatever she decides to do in life.”
Wimberly and Krygier provide a formidable returning foundation for Lake Central. But it won’t be the same as this group after a remarkable run, particularly over the last three seasons.
“I want to say we’ll be back next year, but a lot of people are leaving,” Wimberly said, her voice cracking. “I just wish we could’ve pulled this one out. But, again, it’s just a blessing to be here.”
