It was a game that drew the attention of Tom Crean, Matt Painter and Bradley assistant coach Drew Adams. Sophomores Romeo Langford and Musa Jallow were squaring off on Friday night. Team wise, it looked like New Albany - the #1 team in Indiana - would roll through Bloomington North. The Cougars had a different idea though and pushed New Albany to the limit.

The first half was the Romeo Langford show. He asserted himself from the tip while New Albany pressured Bloomington North full court and Langford had his hands in a number of the early Bloomington North turnovers. Langford displayed his complete game in the first half. He was scoring at the basket with a couple big-time dunks. Langford also showed his quick, consistent shot from any distance. New Albany head coach Jim Shannon wasn't too pleased when Langford pulled from about 27 feet, but he will live with it because Langford can make shots at a high rate. 

When the dust cleared for the first half, Langford tallied 24 points. New Albany as a team had 34 points. The crazy part about the scoring outburst is the fact that it isn't an abnormality for Langford. He has scored more than 40 points in fewer than three full quarters a couple times this season. He was being aggressive, but he wasn't forcing shots. Langford was 9-14 from the field.

Bloomington North was making Langford work for his points as well. Musa Jallow was the primary defender against Langford but it was a rotating cast as Langford hit tough shot after tough shot. He kept the defense off balance by scoring off the dribble, spot-up three-pointers and transition baskets.

Jallow had a strong showing. He was able to get to the basket off the dribble a couple times. He rebounded with toughness throughout the game. He competed on both ends of the floor. It was a spirited effort from Jallow. His game is progressing well.

Despite Romeo Langford's exploits, Bloomington North was only down four points at halftime. The Cougars hung around in the first half then tried to land a knock out in the second. Bloomington North switched up its defensive plan in the third quarter. They started to face-guarded Langford while playing a box-and-one defense. The defense was effective in the sense that Langford only took one shot in the third period and only two in the second half. 

Senior guard Malik Laffoon had a strong third quarter for Bloomington North. He scored nine points in the period to lead the charge for North. New Albany still led by three points going into the final quarter.

Bloomington North took an interesting approach while down four points in the fourth quarter. First, North remained in a box-and-one which allowed New Albany to hold the ball. New Albany decided to attack the defense and left empty handed after a minute or so. New Albany settled into a zone on the other end and North decided to hold the ball as well. The Cougars melted nearly three minutes off the clock while trailing by four points. Unfortunately for North, they missed a shot after holding the ball which put New Albany in a great position.

Langford only scored three points in the second half, but he still made an impact on the game. He rebounded with tremendous toughness and energy in the fourth quarter. Langford skied for a couple important rebounds and secured the possession of the ball for New Albany. It did not bother him that he was being denied the ball. Langford set screens in order to get his teammates open. It was a mature approach for a sophomore.

New Albany survived a scare in the last regular season game of the year. New Albany won 58-52 behind Romeo Langford's 27 points. Josh Jefferson and Michael Maxwell each had 10 points in the victory. Musa Jallow finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Malik Laffoon added 13 for Bloomington North.

New Albany has a bye into the sectional semifinals at Seymour. Bloomington North opens sectional play against the host East Central on Tuesday.