Xavier Saturday District Finals 2027 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cintas Center on the campus of the Xavier University hosted five playoff games on Saturday March 7th, in this article I'll break down my 2027 standouts from that action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2694033"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69ad8dc90a519"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Washington had an impressive offensive performance for an Aiken squad who cruised to a district title, just one year after they made the state title game. Washington was living in the paint all game, getting downhill off the dribble and consistently drawing fouls. Washington shot as many free throws as Troy's entire team in the game! I was impressed with Washington's ability to hang in the air and finish at the rim around shot contests. If Aiken is going to win the region, they'll need Washington to find the range on his jumper more consistently than he did today.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2775797"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69ad8dc90a579"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Aiken frontcourt of Carr-Short and [player_tooltip player_id='3269113' first='Kevin' last='Blye'] looked like the avengers against an undersized and overwhelmed Troy team. Carr-Short had multiple putback layups and the duo swatted a handful of shots away at the rim. Between the duo, they grabbed 20 rebounds and locked 3 shots. To open the fourth quarter Carr-Short knocked down a tough 3-pointer to extend the Aiken lead to 19 and put the game away. Carr-Short also had a nice pass to a cutter later in the quarter, showing some development as a decision maker. Hoping to see these flashes happen more consistently for one of the more talented 2027 forwards in Cincinnati.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2674982"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69ad8dc90a5c1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The leading scorer all season for the Bombers, McGeady tied a team lead on Saturday night and led the team in rebounding. McGeady is a perfect fit for the Bombers system because he can score off cuts, BLOB plays, attack closeouts and hit pick and pop jumpers. Tough to beat St Xavier when McGeady is scoring efficiently like he did on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3547590"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69ad8dc90a602"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A new name for myself, Freeman brought good energy and physicality to a Cincinnati Fairfield squad that was shorthanded this season. Freeman has a quick first step, finished an and-1 layup and had an impressive mid-range jumper out of isolation. When the Indians get some guys back next season in addition to Freeman, I expect them to be back in the upper half of the GMC.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2453406"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69ad8dc90a643"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Vikings were pushed by a team who gave them all they could handle in the regular season, but to win in March your stars need to shine brightest and the Vikings stars were exceptional on Saturday night at Cintas Center. Gill made shots off the catch, a tough thing to do inside a college arena. Princeton also played patient in the half court and found Gill on multiple cuts where he had some and-1 finishes at the rim. One of the more consistent players in the state, Gill seems to impact the game at a high level on a nightly basis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->