Xavier Simpson Game Winning Shot To Win Lima Cup

Submitted by goblue224 on

Simpson sank a 12-foot, step-back jumper with one second left to give Lima Senior a heart-stopping 54-52 boys basketball victory over Lima Central Catholic before a sold-out, packed house Tuesday at Herr Gymnasium.

“I had a pretty good idea how much (time) was left because I started walking him down with five, six seconds left and tried to get a reaction and hopefully, I could make a move and react in the opposite direction,” Simpson said. “I was just happy I made the shot and happy we got the victory.”

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74polSKA

January 27th, 2016 at 8:09 AM ^

I was watching this when a Buckeye fan coworker walked into my office. I said "there's another Ohio guy Matta couldn't bother recruiting." He just turned around and walked out. For some perspective on the magnitude of the game, Lima Senior (12-0) is #2 in DI (largest in Ohio) and LCC (15-1) is/was #1 in DIII as of Jan 25th. My untrained opinion is that X has to be in the discussion for Mr. Basketball Ohio this year.

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74polSKA

January 27th, 2016 at 1:48 PM ^

I was too. I looked him up and that's Ethan O'Conner. He's LCC's starting QB and also has a baseball profile online (SS/RHP). Basketball must be his "weak" sport. Unless there's more than one highly athletic O'Conner family at that school, he'd be MSU QB Tyler O'Conner's younger brother (in your eyehole, Sparty!!). He's listed at 6'2" or 6'3", so that makes Xavier's shot even more impressive.

Edit: He also has a basketball bio on Maxpreps. Good athlete.

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MotownGoBlue

January 27th, 2016 at 7:34 AM ^

Only thing lacking there was a Michigan plug. X really is quick with good handles and awareness. By the sound of it he's made quite a few big shots during his high school career. He'll come right off the bench (need him yesterday) and get meaningful minutes.

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geewhiz99

January 27th, 2016 at 8:41 AM ^

Glad we picked this kid up instead of waiting for Cassius Winston to decide. He's got clutch written over him, has ice running through his veins and is a great defender. Michigan will make the final four before Xavier graduates from Michigan.

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ypsituckyboy

January 27th, 2016 at 8:53 AM ^

Agree. I'm not a big Cassius fan and wasn't, even when Beilein had him as the #1 priority. He's not that quick and has awkward mechanics on his shot. I think Simpson will be the better college player, even if Cassius has the higher ceiling due to his height/strength advantage.

Simpson could be a Yogi Ferrell type player - limited NBA potential but fantastic in college. Ferrell was a much better shooter than Simpson in high school, but I'm sure Beilein will whip Simpson into shape.

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ak47

January 27th, 2016 at 10:11 AM ^

Yogi was top 25 in the country, he was a much bigger recruit, that doesn't mean simpson can't be good, but ferrell was definetly better in high school.

I also went to check on Xaviers recruiting profile and still can't believe how badly we got spanked by msu on the recruiting trail this year.  They have 4 guys in the top 40 including two in the top 15. 

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FanInSTL

January 27th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^

As I mentioned when he committed, my brother in law was heavily involved in Xavier's recruitment to another school.   He's seen him play dozens of games, and says he could play anywhere in the country.  Sky is the limit in his opinion.

Joined: 09/14/2012

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bacon1431

January 27th, 2016 at 10:46 AM ^

Love that. He could make a bigger impact quicker than I thought when he committed. Thought he'd be a big contributor as an upperclassman and a role guy as an underclassman. But I think he could be a main cog early on now



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troublet1969

January 27th, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^

Being a Lima resident, I would have to say that, this was one of the biggest games in recent history. Both teams ranked high in their divisions. Lima Sr. (2) Lima Central Catholic (1).



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