Argyle cruises to victory

By Matthew Postins / For the Denton Record-Chronicle

FRISCO — Argyle head coach John King made it clear that a deep playoff run depends on the Eagles getting contributions from everyone.

That was certainly the case Tuesday night at Frisco Liberty, as 10 different Eagles scored in a 72-42 blowout win over Commerce in a Class 3A bi-district showdown.

The victory earned Argyle (24-8) a meeting with Crandall in the area round later this week. The Eagles lost to Crandall in overtime earlier this season. The location of the game had not been determined Tuesday night.

The Eagles started the game by establishing their inside post players. Once that sucked in the Tigers’ defense, the Eagles began attacking from the outside.

That contributed to a 34-15 Argyle lead at halftime. The Eagles started the second quarter up only 12-8, but they quickly put some distance between themselves and the Tigers. Guard Clarke Overlander, who at 6-3 is tall enough to play inside, instead hammered away from outside. He scored eight of his game-high 19 points in the second quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers that took the wind out of Commerce.

“Everyone contributed tonight, which is what we have to have,” King said. “We shot well outside, we scored well inside and we played good defense.”

The defense was critical, as the Eagles made it a point to pay attention to Commerce senior Cameron Nelson. The lanky 6-6 forward scored 31 points against Van Alstyne last week, as King and his staff watched.

King knew that for Argyle to have any hope of beating the up-tempo Tigers, the Eagles would have to slow Nelson down.

“We knew we were going to do whatever we could to slow him down,” King said.

Nelson scored 13 points, which led the Tigers but didn’t put a dent in the Eagles’ lead.

In fact, it was the Eagles who looked like the quicker team, especially in the second quarter. Their defense produced several turnovers during that period, as Commerce struggled to take care of the basketball.

Then, late in the second quarter, the Tigers moved away from their man defense and slipped into a 2-3 zone. The Eagles broke the zone with quick passes that shifted the zone from side to side and opened up quality shots. That’s part of the reason the Eagles hit three 3-pointers in the final 1:22 of the third quarter, including Taylor Ishee’s 25-foot turnaround lob at the buzzer.

“I think they [Commerce] were tired, and I think that’s why they went to the zone,” King said. “We saw them play some 2-3 against Van Alstyne. We were fortunate that we were able to take advantage of it.”