Elyria Catholic head coach Phil Kuchta has been raving about the play of 2018 wing Dorian Crutcher and rightfully so. The 6'3 junior is currently averaging a team-high 19.9 points per game while also pulling down 5.4 rebounds.

Crutcher split time in the starting lineup on a senior laden team but he has began to blossom into his new role as the team's first option. 

"I think it helped me a lot. Now that I have the varsity experience, I'm able to contribute to my team a lot more."

Crutcher is an athletic wing with the ability to finish out in transition or play off the ball as a catch and shoot threat, but the in between game is where his game has seen the most improvement.

In a pivotal game against Bay last week, he began the game with a pair of tough, pull-up jumpers and appeared to have a newfound bounce to his step.

"It was mainly just a confidence boost but had a lot to do with work over the summer as well."

Crutcher's game-high 23 points allowed the Panthers to pickup a key win over a talented Bay squad that features a talented junior of their own in R.J. Sunahara.

Friday night's matchup against Valley Forge is the only thing standing between Elyria Catholic and clinching a share of the Great Lakes Conference title. 

The team has an opportunity to win the league outright if they win on Friday and Holy Name drops the ball against Normandy that same night.

"It feels pretty good. At the start of the season, we were picked to finish in fourth place and now we're at the top of the conference."

A GCC title would be a nice pickup for Elyria Catholic, but the team has their eyes set on a potential District Championship in a stacked D3 Garfield Heights bracket.