The Eagles got out to a 7-0 lead within the game's first minute and led 17-8 after one quarter, a margin they largely maintained the rest of the way. A strong start shooting the ball combined with holding the Panthers to an uncharacteristically tough night offensively made the difference.
Argyle (16-1, 1-0 in district) picked up a crucial win in the process, knocking off a Colleyville Heritage (13-3, 0-1) team that looks poised to be in the thick of the district title race.
"It made it more comfortable [when] we had a couple go in," Argyle head coach Russell Perkins said. "They shoot the ball extremely, extremely well. Tonight, they didn't as well, so it just made it more comfortable for us. ... We had some fortunate bounces, but we took advantage of those and made some good things happen."
Game summary
The Eagles' torrid start to the game was fueled by knocking down four 3-pointers in the opening period, the only four triples they made throughout the night. Ryder Smithers hit two tough 3s for all of his six points in the contest, while Jayson Demcher and Kash Polk knocked down one each.
Polk then stepped up with some key contributions in the second quarter, scoring four of Argyle's 11 points in the frame. He hit an and-one layup just before the midway point of the period to make it 27-14 before the Eagles maintained a 28-18 edge heading into halftime.
Argyle stayed ahead by seven or more points throughout the third period, seeing the margin narrow to its lowest at 35-28 with 2:15 left in the quarter. Demcher made four free throws down the stretch, however, to put the Eagles up 39-28 heading into the final frame.
Argyle extended its edge to 43-30 early in the fourth quarter on a fadeaway jumper by Gerald Burris-Llamas, but Colleyville Heritage began to creep back in with a 7-0 run to trail by just six with 3:49 to play. A layup and two free throws from Burris-Llamas, who had six fourth-quarter points, helped seal the victory alongside some important stops on defense.
It was an impressive defensive night overall for the Eagles, which held a potent Panthers offense that entered averaging 57.1 points per game to its second-lowest scoring total of the season.
"It comes with just what we do every day preparation-wise," Perkins said. "Our kids work really hard on knowing different actions, what they're going to do, not only them but [all] the people we play. I thought we did much better fundamentally defensively today of getting in the right spot face-to-face.
"We were locked in more than we have been in some other times, but they make you do that because they're so good offensively."
Standout players
Argyle's Jayson Demcher against CHHS
Demcher finished the night as Argyle's leading scorer with 15 points, eight of those coming in the third quarter alone. Burris-Llamas was just behind him with 14 points, while Polk added 10 points before exiting with an injury and Smithers had six on his pair of first-quarter triples.
What's next?
Argyle has gotten out to an impressive start to the regular season with its lone loss of the year thus far coming to 6A No. 1-ranked Round Rock Stony Point (17-0).
The Eagles aim to keep that momentum rolling after the holiday break when they return to action at a tournament in The Colony before continuing their district slate in the new year. Perkins knows his team will need to continue to play its best to win night in and night out in the loaded District 7-5A.
"We have a lot of experience back from last year," Perkins said. "Our district is so tough. We know that every day is a preparation day and our kids have really bought into that. We just come to work every day and the ki... Click here to read full article
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