Boys’ basketball: Jacob Hazzard is zone breaker

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For those teams that decide to play a zone defense against Los Angeles Loyola, I’d advise denying the ball to Jacob Hazzard along the baseline. When he’s open, it’s an automatic three-pointer.

He has a quick release, so it makes it difficult to play zone against the Cubs.

He had four three-pointers against Long Beach Poly, which had some success with a half-court trap in the fourth quarter before losing, 70-65.

Loyola plays this week in the Santa Monica tournament, so it will be interesting to see the strategy of opposing teams. You can’t run with the Cubs, because that’s what they do best. Their big men are getting better, making a zone defense seemingly a good strategy.

But with Hazzard on the court, he’s a dangerous weapon and can’t be forgotten.

-- Eric Sondheimer