FORRESTON - Chas Cross stands out on the court because of his height.
But the 6-foot-7 Winnebago junior is more than just tall.
“He’s tall, and he’s got a seven-foot wingspan, his arms are so long,” Winnebago coach Joe Murphy said. “And he can move on top of it.
“If I was on the other side of the court, I’d be frustrated by him, too.”
Cross was too much for anyone to handle at this week’s 49th Annual Forreston Holiday Tournament. A two-year-starter, Cross led the Indians to their second-straight title with a 62-49 win against Morrison in Friday’s championship.
Cross scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked six shots in the title game. One of four big post players for Winnebago, the Indians’ height was a problem for all four of the teams they beat in the six-day, 16-team event.
“We created a lot of mismatches against a lot of teams,” said Cross, who was a first-team all-tournament pick. “They just couldn’t match up with our height.”
Winnebago tore out to a 16-2 lead to start the game thanks to six points from Cross. Cross and 6-foot-4 junior Brad Reinke combined for 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks in the first quarter and gave Winnebago a 20-10 leading heading into the second.
But a string of shots by Morrison’s Jason Smith pulled the Mustangs back in it. A Smith 3-pointer with 4:43 left in the half brought his team within two points (23-21), but Morrison (8-3) never took the lead.
Winnebago led 35-25 at halftime after Mike Mann ended the second quarter with a layup at the buzzer.
The Mustangs kept tight with Winnebago in the third quarter also, but again, they never managed to take a lead. Winnebago finally pulled away in the fourth when the Indians (8-0) finished with a 13-5 run.
“The same thing happened last year when we played Morrison in this tournament,” Murphy said. “We had a big lead in the first quarter, but after that it was close the whole way. I don’t think they were ready for our quickness, but once they got going, they were fine.”
Reinke followed Cross with 16 points, while Chuck Misuraca chipped in nine.
Smith finished with 29 points and six rebounds for Morrison.
Winnebago, which advanced to the championship game with a 71-50 win against Polo in Thursday’s late semifinal, will now prepare for next week’s Marengo Tournament, where the Indians are the four-time defending champs.
Polo 56, Byron 44: Matt Scholl scored 16 points to lead Polo to third place. It was the first top-three finish for the Marcos since 1991 when they finished second. Matt VanOosten followed with 13 points. Adam Head poured in 26 points to lead the fourth-place Tigers.
Milledgeville 50, Stillman Valley 38: Levi Harris and Kirk Engelkens scored 17 and 15 points to lead the Missiles to the consolation bracket title. Eric Claussen had 11 points for the Cardinals.
Freeport Aquin 53, Forreston 50: The Bulldogs earned the fifth-place title with the win over the host team.
- Emily Tropp, rrstar.com
