One of the best games of the early high school basketball season in Alabama took place on Thursday night, as J.O. Johnson visited Madison Academy. Here's my four takeaways from Madison Academy's 80-76 overtime win.

1. When the lights are on, Josh Langford shines brightest. Much of this game was made of the Langford-John Petty matchup, and Lanford (pictured above) rose to the occasion. He finished with a game-high 39 points, including eight points in overtime to lead Madison Academy to a win in front of Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and assistant coaches from Mississippi State and Michigan State. He also had 16 rebounds and five assists. With his well-rounded game, Langford doesn't typically have to score to help his team win. However, Thursday night, he made a statement with his scoring and game and proved that he is the top player in the state unanimously.

2. Justin Hopkins is a solid prospect. I have watched the junior closely for the past few weeks and he leaves me wanting to see more each time. Thursday night, he made a living at the free throw line, as he scored 10 of his 24 points at the charity stripe. His strength, athleticism, and competitiveness make him a lock for the next level, but he's a heckuva player to watch at the high school level. I still need to see him score more from the perimeter, but Hopkins is efficient around the goal.

3. Madison Academy has warriors on its roster. The Mustangs are still missing some players from the football team, but don't tell the basketball players that. With sophomore forward Myles Parker fighting foul trouble the entire night, MA's bench and role players stepped up to assist Langford. Despite being down by 13 points at one time in the second quarter, Madison Academy fought back with a 15-0 run of their own. Shooter Will Acuff connected on a couple of three-pointers to finish with 16 points.

4. Both schools are favorites to win a state championships in their classifications. Right now, I would bet that both of these schools will be holding up the blue trophy in Birmingham come February. As mentioned above, Madison Academy is still missing some players from the football team, who is still in the state playoffs. But with Langford and Parker, along with the shooters and other role players they have, the Mustangs will be the favorites to win a state championship in 3A.

On the other side, players continue to emerge from Johnson. Petty and Hopkins receive most of the publicity, but last night, senior Terrion Bone set the tone for the Jaguars. He finished with 24 points in the loss. Bone is a player that deserves some college looks throughout the year and they will come. With the unlimited number of star-power Johnson has, they will definitely be back in Birmingham this year.