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40 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Sunday, November 4, 2018 C L A S S 2 A E ureka Springs' Garrett Cross had already scored 25 points before his coach decided to pull him late in the third quarter of his team's win over Lead Hill, but the senior knew that total could have been about 15 points higher if had stayed in the game. "I could've gotten high 30s or low 40s," he said. Cross is going to score a lot this sea- son. That's already evident from his first two games of the season — his 25 against Lead Hill and a 35-point outing in a loss to Valley Springs to start the season — and the senior shows no signs of slowing down. But that's what people have come to expect from the Class 2A All-State player who led his team in scoring and assists a year ago. Cross, a 6-foot-5-inch point guard, worked to improve his shot and add some bulk to his frame so that he can finish better near the rim, he said. "I've worked out hard this offseason. I needed to add mass," Cross said. "I put on about 10 pounds out of muscle." Cross is counting on these changes to help lead Eureka Springs "over that hump" that kept them from getting past the first round of the regional tournament a year ago. He wants people to know two things about his team this season: They're go- ing to score fast, and they're going to score often. "This year, we just want to play so much faster," Cross said. "We're capable of scoring 60, 70 this year. You can see that in the first two games of the year." Eureka Springs scored 69 against Valley Springs and 66 against Lead Hill already, which has been an exciting change of pace to play in, Cross said. "I would rather play fast than slow any day of the week," Cross said. "I don't like sitting back, playing half-court offense. I like to get out and go." Cross thinks the Highlanders are poised for a big season, and he envisions about 25 to 30 wins for his team, but he's more focused on getting his team to the state tournament and making a deep run in the playoffs before he graduates, he said. Cross filling up scorebook ALEX NICOLL SPECIAL TO NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE GARRETT CROSS SCHOOL Eureka Springs CLASS Senior HEIGHT 6-5 POSITION Point Guard NOTABLE A prolific scorer for the Highlanders, Cross averaged more than 20 points per game last season, and is already averaging 30 per game this season after a fast start. … Helped the Highlanders to a 17-13 mark last season. … Named to the Class 2A All-State team. High-scoring Highlander "I would rather play fast than slow any day of the week. I don't like sitting back, playing half-court offense. I like to get out and go." — Garrett Cross, Eureka Springs point guard NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER