2018 star Romeo Langford had the statewide spotlight on him all week after scoring 46 points at Southport at the semi-state. Langford struggled early in the game, but he expanded his legacy by leading New Albany to a state title over McCutcheon on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Early on, each team struggled to settle into the game. The teams were long on most of the shot attempts and showed signs of nerves. McCutcheon took the advantage behind the slashing of Robert Phinisee. He was able to get to the basket.

It took New Albany a full quarter to get comfortable in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. In the second quarter, the Bulldogs started to shoot like they normally do. The overall pace increased to what was expected prior to the game as well. Langford scored 11 points in the period after missing his first five field goals of the game.

It was the junior class that McCutcheon leaned on in the first half. Forward Gavin Dunbar gave McCutcheon a spark off the bench by hitting a couple of three-pointers in the second quarter. Classmates Haden Deaton and Eddy Collins were steady throughout the half. Deaton hit a three and slashed to the basket a couple times. The Mavericks matched New Albany punch for punch in the second period.

McCutcheon took a five-point advantage into the locker room.

The Bulldogs changed the tone of the game early in the second half. New Albany started the half on an 11-2 run. Langford kick-started the run with a reverse dunk. Sean East and Isaac Hibbard hit threes to follow that dunk. It was back and forth the rest of the quarter. Both teams were playing at an extremely high level.

New Albany entered the fourth quarter with a lead and McCutcheon never took back the advantage in the fourth quarter but it was never more than a two-possession game. The Mavericks suffered a big blow when Robert Phinisee fouled out with 2:11 in the fourth quarter. That came into play when McCutchen needed to advance the ball quickly up the court in the final seconds.

It looked like a dunk by Langford sealed the game with 17 seconds remaining. But New Albany fouled Gavin Dunbar on a three-point attempt with 5.3 seconds left in the game. He hit two of the three to make it a two-point game.

McCutcheon still had a chance after Langford split a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left. McCutcheon was down three points and needed to go the length of the court for a three-pointer. The inbound went long and out of bounds to seal the fate of McCutcheon.

New Albany won the 2016 4A state title by the score of 62-59. Romeo Langford finished with 28 points and five rebounds. Isaac Hibbard added 17 points in the win. McCutcheon was led by a balanced attack of Eddy Collins, Haden Deaton, Robert Phinisee and Gavin Dunbar. All four were in double figures.

It was not Romeo Langford's best performance by any means. McCutcheon made it tough on him and kept him out of the lane for most of the game. It was still a strong game by the 2018 prospect. John Calipari, Tom Crean, Matt Painter and Chris Holtmann were at the game to watch Langford and the latter three are recruiting Robert Phinisee as well.

McCutcheon – Robert Phinisee 13 points (5-14 FG, 0-2 3FG, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists,4 turnovers, Haden Deaton 14 points (4-7 FG, 2-5 3FG, 4-6 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 turnovers, Darnell Butler 7 points (3-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 turnovers, Eddy Collins 14 points (3-5 3FG), Charles Phinisee 0 points, 3 rebounds, Billy Loft 1 rebounds, Gavin Dunbar 11 points, 1 rebound

New Albany – Romeo Langford 28 points (11-21 FG, 1-8 3FG, 5-8 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, Isaac Hibbard 17 points (5-10 FG, 4-8 3FG, 3-4 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, Josh Jefferson 5 points (2-7 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, Sean East 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers Michael Maxwell, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 1 turnover Rondale Moore 2 rebounds