Sam Long and Chandler Thompson combined for 50 points and 23 rebounds to lead Muncie Central to its eighth state championship with a 76-53 victory over Concord in the 78th Annual Indiana High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball State Finals at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis , March 26, 1988.
Long, 6'4" senior forward who managed just two points when Muncie Central downed Bedford North Lawrence by a 60-53 score in the afternoon, came back with a career high 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Bearcats before a sellout crowd of 17,490 in the championship game. Long hit 14 of his 20 shots from the field.
Thompson, the number one scorer for Muncie Central, added 21 points to the game high 32 he got against Bedford North Lawrence in the tourney opener. It was the third championship for Coach Bill Harrell in 14 years at Muncie Central. The Bearcats finshed the season with an outstanding 28-1 record.
Concord, coached by Jim Hahn, owned a spotless 28-0 record going into the state windup against Muncie Central. Concord trailed only 28-26 at the halfway mark and by a 54-46 score with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Center Shawn Kemp picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in the space of 21 seconds at the 3:48 mark in a crushing blow to the Minutemen.
The 6'11" Kemp had 23 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots against Muncie Central in the championship game. Kemp also had 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks in the afternoon when Concord pulled away from Hammond Noll in the second half of their 66-50 semi-final clash. Concord led only 28-27 at half-time.
Sophomore sensation Damon Bailey and his Bedford North Lawrence teammates owned a brilliant 26-1 record coming to the Final Four for the second straight year. The Stars jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead on favored Muncie Central in the tourney opener. Muncie Central rebounded for a 27-22 lead at the half, and it was 37-35 in favor of the Bearcats at the end of three quarters.
Behind Bailey who scored 25 points and had 10 rebounds in another one of his superior performances, the Stars, coached by Dan Bush, deadlocked the game three times in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. The last tie came at 45-45 with 3:59 on the clock. Billy Vance, Long and Vic Young reeled off three straight buckets to put the Bearcats ahead to stay.