TOP OF THE CROP

Girls basketball 1: (1) Elyria Catholic 12-4 2: (2) Avon 10-4 3: (3) Olmsted Falls 10-5 4: (4) Lake Ridge 10-5 5: (5) Lutheran West 12-1 6: (8) Avon Lake 9-7 7: (9) Wellington 10-2 8: (NR) Westlake 7-8 9: (10) Bay 7-7 10: (6) North Ridgeville 7-7

Dropped out: Amherst (7-8) Watch list: Amherst (7-8), Clearview (10-4), Columbia (8-7), Lorain (7-8) Crop comments: Elyria Catholic (12-4) avenged its late December loss to Normandy this week, keeping the Panthers in the thick of the Great Lakes League title hunt . ... Avon (10-4) handed D-I state-ranked BereaMidpark its first SWC loss of the year. The win made it tough to keep the Eagles in the No. 2 spot this week. With Olmsted Falls, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville on tap, the Eagles are primed to reclaim the top spot . ... Olmsted Falls (10-5) ended its four-game skid by winning three in a row to show that the losing streak was not something the Bulldogs would fall victim to . ... Lake Ridge (10-5) got hit by the injury bug at the worst time possible, dropping a pair to Hathaway Brown and Cornerstone Christian — a pair of games that would have been tough even at full strength . ... Lutheran West (12-1) has won 12 straight and is only a few more wins away from forcing a jump into the top four . ... Avon Lake (9-7) took No. 3 Olmsted Falls to the limit in a one-point loss on Jan. 17, then rebounded with a drubbing of Midview to stop its four-game skid . ... Wellington (10-2) may not have played as many games as some teams, but winning seven in a row cannot be denied any longer, particularly when teams in front of the Dukes in the Crop keep losing . ... Westlake (7-8) makes it back into the Crop after knocking off last week’s No. 6 North Ridgeville and No. 7 Amherst. The Demons have been streaky at times is year, but their average margin of defeat is 9.3 points . ... Bay (7-7) climbs a spot after splitting its two games last week. Upcoming showdowns with Rocky River and Normandy will go a long way in showing how much the Rockets have evolved over the last month . ... North Ridgeville (7-7) holds onto the final spot in the Crop after dropping both games last week. With Avon, Berea-Midpark and Olmsted Falls coming up, it will be an uphill battle for the Rangers. ... Amherst (7-8) drops out after falling to Westlake and Avon last week. The Comets have a few signature wins this season, but the Demons could not remain out and below Amherst after topping it twice this year. Note: Records as of Jan. 23.