News-Herald boys basketball Top of the Crop for Jan. 18

Jan. 18—TOP OF THE CROP

Boys basketball

1: (1) Richmond Heights (6-8)

2: (2) Mentor (7-3)

3: (3) Brush (7-5)

4: (4) Gilmour (9-4)

5: (5) Geneva (11-2)

6: (7) NDCL (6-6)

7: (8) Madison (10-3)

8: (NR) Kirtland (8-2)

9: (9) West Geauga (9-4)

10: (10) Hawken (9-3)

Dropped out: University (5-8)

Watch List: University, VASJ (7-5), Fairport (6-4), Cornerstone (6-5), Perry (5-5)

Crop comments: Richmond Heights worked its way back to the win column with a victory over West Minster (Fla.). The Spartans' upcoming schedule will be on their home court with contests against Akron SVSM, Maple Heights and Brush. ... Mentor had a quiet week with one game, a win over Shaker Heights. The Cardinals' schedule ramps up against Brunswick, Moeller and Strongsville in a four-day stretch. ... Brush responded to a loss to Cleveland Heights with wins over Rhodes and Nordonia. The Arcs' defense shined as they held both teams under 40 points and aim to keep that trend going against Akron SVSM at the Chet Mason Invitational. ... Gilmour has found its stride with three wins, including a victory in the Battle of SOM against University. The Lancers have road games against Cleveland Central Catholic, Hawken and St. Charles on tap. ... Geneva ground out two come-from-behind wins over Perry and Jefferson to push its win streak to nine. The Eagles have a major CVC Lake matchup against Madison on deck. ... NDCL snapped its four-game skid with a win over Lake Catholic that propelled them to even on the season. The Lions have two more road challenges on tap with a big Crown Conference game at Walsh Jesuit. ... Madison picked up a big CVC Lake win over Edgewood, guided by a 50-point performance by JP Dragas. The Blue Streaks and Geneva went to overtime last time out and the top spot in the division is on the line. ... Kirtland ground out a pair of wins over North and Brooklyn that made it four straight wins. They return with back-to-back games against Berkshire and Andrews Osborne to try and extend the streak. ... West Geauga was down by 15 points at the half to Chardon but recovered to eke out the two-point victory. Tied with Hawken atop the CVC Chagrin, the Wolverines aim to keep it that way with two contests before a rematch with the Hawks. ... The Hawks have won four straight since the loss to West Geauga as they embark on four straight games at home. A back-to-back of Chagrin Falls and Cornerstone kicks off the homestand.