TOP OF THE CROP

Girls basketball

1: (3) Elyria Catholic 11-4 2: (1) Avon 8-4 3: (2) Olmsted Falls 7-5 4: (4) Lake Ridge 9-3 5: (5) Lutheran West 10-1 6: (6) North Ridgeville 7-5 7: (8) Amherst 7-6 8: (7) Avon Lake 8-6 9: (9) Wellington 7-2 10: (10) Bay 6-6

Dropped out: None Watch list: Clearview (9-3), Rocky River (5-7), Westlake (5-8), Vermilion (8-7), Columbia (7-6) Crop comments: Elyria Catholic (11-4) takes the top spot after an impressive week that included wins over Rocky River, Bay and the AP Poll’s top-ranked team in Division IV, Minster . ... Avon (8-4) suffered a four-point loss to Lakewood. Things don’t get easier for the Eagles with Amherst and Berea-Midpark on tap . ... Olmsted Falls (7-5) is on a four-game losing streak, but all have come against tough teams in Doylestown Chippewa, Wadsworth, Amherst and Berea-Midpark, leading to just a slight drop . ... Lake Ridge (9-3) had a chance to leap Olmsted Falls, but a 19-point loss to Doylestown Chippewa doesn’t match up to the Bulldogs’ five-point loss to the same opponent . ... Lutheran West (10-1) keeps winning, but a schedule that does not match the difficulty of the four teams ahead of the Longhorns makes it tough for a future leap without higher ranked teams faltering . ... North Ridgeville (75) had a chance to make a splash in The Crop, but its showdown with No. 2 Avon was postponed to Jan. 29 . ... Amherst (7-6) has a winning record for the first time since the third game of the season, and the Comets did it by beating North Olmsted and last week’s No. 7 Avon Lake . ... A hot streak got Avon Lake (8-6) to No. 4 in The Crop, but three straight losses have led to a steep tumble. The Shoregals are in serious danger of dropping out of The Crop . ... Wellington (7-2) keeps winning, but without a signature victory and less than 10 games under their belt, the Dukes are standing on shaky legs when it comes to being in The Crop . ... Bay (6-6) split a pair of games this week, dominating Valley Forge and taking a tough loss to Crop No. 1 Elyria Catholic. The Rockets could make a leap soon, though, with a strong slate of games coming up.

Note: Records as of Jan. 16.