Muncie Central boys basketball wins first game following 0-21 season
MUNCIE, Ind. — Muncie Central boys basketball hadn't won a game since March 6, 2020. The drought lasted more than 20 months, 631 days to be exact.
But the Bearcats (1-0) Saturday night snapped their 22-game losing streak with a 62-57 home win over Wapahani (1-1). They nearly squandered a 21-point lead, yet it was all smiles for the players and fans as the energized Fieldhouse enjoyed a collective sigh of relief.
"The crowd was into it on both sides, almost like a rivalry game with Wapahani ... they did a great job," head coach Chandler Thompson said. "Our kids played their a---- off, played through it. They played their a---- off. This was a game that you wanted to see tonight."
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Central was led by junior guard Daniel Harris' career-high 22 points. Following a slow start to the game when the team trailed 13-11 after the opening quarter, Harris sparked a 28-point second frame that ballooned the Bearcats' lead to 17 points at halftime.
Harris showcased his smooth jump shot and playmaking ability, consistently penetrating the Raiders' defense to either stop-and-pop or find an open shooter behind the arc.
His energy ignited Central's defense as well, which was smothering and aggressive in the second quarter. The guards, in particular, forced several Wapahani turnovers, and the Bearcats were at their best in transition.
It's the style Harris said the team wants to play.
"(Coach Thompson) told me to 'Do me,' but get the team involved. So that's all I have to do," Harris said. "It would build up our confidence, that's why we needed this win ... It feels great for the team. The next game we'll just stay humble and stay the course."
Senior forward Tim Arnold (13 points) and junior guard Malik Hasani (10 points) were the next highest-scoring Bearcats. The team ran into trouble, however, when Harris went down in the third quarter with a cramp in his right calf.
Central went stagnant in the few minutes without Harris, who scored eight of his team's 13 points in the third frame, and the Raiders took advantage by scoring 22 points behind strong shooting from junior Aidan Franks (20 points) and sophomore Isaac Andrews (19 points).
The Bearcats' lead dwindled to just eight points by the end of the quarter, and Wapahani tied the game at 56-56 with 2:15 minutes left to play in the fourth. With Harris trying to battle through his calf pain, Central turned the ball over repeatedly and let the Raiders take a brief one-point lead.
"I liked our guard play in the first half. I didn't like it in the second half because we got really sloppy and complacent with the ball," Thompson said. "If we can tighten that up going into the next game, I think we'll be OK."
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Central's many turnovers were compounded by its fouls. Wapahani shot 16 of its 22 free throws in the final quarter, more than the 12 Central shot the entire game, but the two teams got tight in the final 90 seconds and couldn't get any clean shots.
It looked like Central might have let the game slip away, but Harris pushed through his pain and hit a pair of free throws to put his team up 58-57. The Bearcats never again trailed.
The referees swallowed their whistles on the final few possessions, and Bearcat fans roared after the final buzzer. It wasn't pretty, but Central needed a win early in the year to shed the stink of the losing streak and focus on the task ahead.
"They're happy, but we tell them this is just game 1. This is not the championship," Thompson said. "I understand because we didn't win a game last year, a lot of those kids were a part of that team, and to come out and get this win tonight was big."
Thompson is in his fifth season as Central's head coach, and Saturday was the first time his team won the opening game of the season.
The Bearcats don't play again until Dec. 10 at home against Logansport, but according to Thompson, building upon the confidence from this win is "the game plan."
Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com or 765-729-4742.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie Central boys basketball wins first game following 0-21 season
