ARGYLE — The Argyle Eagles soared to their ninth win of the year Tuesday night with an 85-49 rout of Frisco Liberty.

Backing up their No. 6 ranking in the TABC Class 3A poll, coach John King’s squad set an up-tempo tone early in the contest and rode a strong defensive effort to the easy win.

Argyle (9-1) showed the Redhawks a variety of defensive looks throughout the game. “The game plan tonight was to try to switch up our defense every three trips to keep them off balance,” King said.

The barrage of Eagle defenses confused the Redhawks, who had more turnovers [nine] than points in the first quarter.

“We’re blessed with some very intelligent kids that have the ability to make that transition from one defense to another on the fly and it worked very well tonight,” King said.

With King barking defenses out from the bench and his team moving seamlessly between full-court traps, full-court man, and half-court man defenses, Argyle was poised to run away with the game early on. Argyle scored the first nine points of the game on transition baskets and never looked back.

Led by Erik Katzen’s 11 first-quarter points, the Eagles had outscored the Redhawks 21-7 after one.

“We came out tonight with very good intensity and set the tone and tempo early and got them on their heels,” King said. “When we come out and set that kind of tempo, good things are going to happen for us.”

Liberty (4-9) finished the first half with 17 turnovers, thanks in large part to Argyle’s speed and aggression.

In the second half, Argyle was met by an onslaught of Liberty 3-pointers.

The Eagles countered by continuing to vary their defenses and unveiling a zone trapping scheme that further confused the Redhawks. Behind good shooting and a 20-point third quarter, Argyle weathered the Liberty attack and kept its lead at double digits throughout the half.

With District 8-3A play looming three weeks away, King was also pleased with the way his team worked as a unit.

“The best thing about our team is that we are gifted with a lot of different kids who can score, rebound, and pass, and everyone knows their role,” King said, “And right now, everyone’s performing their role very well.”

With five players in double figures, King didn’t have to look far for someone to perform in the scoring role. Nine Eagles made it into the scoring column, led by Katzen’s game high 17 and senior forward Cory Dixon’s 16 points.

Looking forward, King wants his team to focus on one opponent at a time as they work to get better for district.

“I told my team that I care how we play, and I want us to focus on trying to get better every day and every night we step on the court,” King said.

Argyle will try to accomplish that goal in its first-round game at the Scott Bagg Tournament in Fort Worth this weekend. The Eagles face Fort Worth All Saints on Thursday night.

Liberty (4-9) – Malcolm Hill 7, Clark 3, Brown 6, Wright 8, Andreas Grandburg 5, Killion 3, David Smith 5, Khan 3, Kevin Drawe 9.

Argyle (9-1) –  Zach Pearson 11, Cory Dixon 16, Caden Dickerson 11, Josh Drake 10, Erik Katzen 17, Billy Carroll 4, Carson York 8, Michael Mead 4, Brian Hommel 4.