With the elusive state championship well in hand, Laguna Acoma’s Anthony Carpio stepped to the free throw line and put his forefinger to his lips, signaling the Pit crowd to hush.

Then he smiled, because he knew there was no silencing the good folks from the pueblos of Laguna and Acoma — not after 23 years between tournament final appearances, not after 64 years of the school’s existence and no basketball championship banners to hang.

“I wouldn’t want to do this with any other team,” the 5-foot-9 senior would later say, after the Hawks’ 51-39 Class 2A title victory over Dexter on Saturday in the Pit.

“It was just amazing,” second-year Laguna Acoma coach Ryan Peil said as he stood on the Pit concourse, blue trophy in hand. “Last year, we had a great season and we lost out in the quarters by one point to Texico.

“But that served as fuel and motivation for these guys to get back.”

The Pit has rarely rocked this loud at 8 in the blessed morning. The game was even delayed a few minutes to allow a long line of followers to buy their tickets and get situated.

Laguna Acoma’s Gus Cuch, center, celebrates with his teammates after beating Dexter in the state final in the Pit (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)

By the time the few thousand had settled in, Carpio had scored on a layup to put the No. 1 seeded Hawks (29-2) up 14-4 with 3:12 left in the first quarter.

But No. 3 Dexter (27-4) had designs of its own in this meeting between two teams with no player taller than 6 foot.

“They’re small and fast,” Carpio said of the Demons “It seems like they were everywhere.”

Hawks junior Gus Cuch called them “piranhas.”

Laguna Acoma’s advantage was a mere 20-18 at half.

But Peil convinced the Hawks (who sported neon green socks and sneakers) they should think less about jump shots and more about attacking the basket. After shooting just 38 percent from the floor in the first half, Laguna Acoma made 12 of 17 field goal attempts in the second half, most within a couple of feet of the basket.

Carpio, who scored 23 points, finished a three-point play with 25 seconds left in the third quarter to put Laguna Acoma up 35-26. Two rebound baskets by Austin Jones, sandwiched around an inside bucket by Cuch, put the Hawks up 45-31 with 2:45 left.

“We had a couple of shots that didn’t fall that maybe could have changed the momentum of the game,” Dexter coach James Voight said. “We fought all the way to the end and I’m proud of the kids.”

Junior David Lopez led the Demons with 12 points and six rebounds.

“We knew we had to step up our game and show these young ones what to do and how to control the tempo of the game,” Laguna Acoma senior C.J. Salvador said.

Laguna Acoma’s relentless defense (man to man mixed with some zone press) limited the Demons to 30 percent shooting.

“We revolve around defense,” said Carpio, one of five seniors. “That’s what brought us this far.”

That’s because of Peil, who three seasons ago was an assistant at West Mesa when Laguna Acoma principal Tom Trujillo called.

Peil had seen the Hawks in summer camps and knew they had talent. Trujillo told him about the rabid fan base. Peil took the job and was immediately embraced by the community.

For two years, on almost a daily basis, Peil has made the 40-minute drive from Albuquerque to Laguna Acoma. He admits he doesn’t know what his future holds, but those are thoughts for another day.

Saturday was about his players, he says, “guys with great character. The experience of the Pit and the thousands of people. It’s every coach’s dream to take their players down the Pit ramp in front of the fans. Just amazing.”