TOP OF THE CROP Boys basketball 1: (1) Richmond Heights (5-7) 2: (3) NDCL (10-3) 3: (2) Mentor (8-4) 4: (4) Cornerstone (9-6) 5: (6) Gilmour (9-5) 6: (5) VASJ (8-6) 7: (7) Hawken (10-5) 8: (8) Perry (9-2) 9: (9) Brush (8-5) 10: (10) Riverside (9-3) Watch list: University (9-4), West Geauga (9-4), Geneva (8-5), Madison (8-5), Kirtland (8-4) Related Articles High school boys basketball stats for Jan. 23 Clark Kellogg Award watch list for Jan. 23 News-Herald players of the week for Jan. 23 Richmond Heights vs. Lutheran West boys basketball: Spartans lock down last 90 seconds for 64-57 victory PHOTOS: Richmond Heights vs. Lutheran West boys basketball, Jan. 22, 2025 Related Articles High school boys basketball stats for Jan. 23 Clark Kellogg Award watch list for Jan. 23 News-Herald players of the week for Jan. 23 Richmond Heights vs. Lutheran West boys basketball: Spartans lock down last 90 seconds for 64-57 victory PHOTOS: Richmond Heights vs. Lutheran West boys basketball, Jan. 22, 2025 Crop comments: Richmond Heights played top teams from Texas and New York before finally having its home opener. A win gets the Spartans back in the right direction with Whitmer and Sandusky next. … NDCL leaps Mentor because of the Lions’ ability to battle back from deficits and win close games. When Lake Catholic made a run to cut the game to one possession, the Lions grinded it out and pushed its lead back to double digits. … Mentor snapped a three-game skid and seems to have its confidence from beyond the arc back. But now the Cardinals need to translate it inside, as well. … Cornerstone is on a two-game skid but has the scoring ability to contend with anyone, no matter the deficit. … Gilmour is getting hot at the right time, winning three straight. The Lancers have a big test coming with a trip to Hoban and Brecksville lurking. … VASJ was 1.5 seconds away from a fifth straight win but fell to University and has to rebound quickly with a closing stretch against five Crop teams and two other teams in the top 10 of their respective division RPI. … For every speed bump Hawken finds, it rebounds quickly with another win. But the Hawks need to find a consistent defensive and inside force. … Perry has won a number of games with its defense. The contest on Jan. 24 against the Hawks determines the CVC Chagrin frontrunner. … Riverside holds on to the final spot with its eight-game winning streak while overcoming a size disadvantage against North. The Beavers are in the driver’s seat in the WRC and are in a good spot to make a run in Division II.