North Hollywood in a dogfight with Van Nuys

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The North Hollywood boys’ basketball team has done a terrific job so far, being undefeated in Sunset Six League play. But the Huskies (19-6, 8-0) face a moment of truth on Wednesday when they host Van Nuys (11-15, 6-2), which can still grab a share of the league title.

‘We’re not big, so any time you have to face a 6-8 guy, it’s a problem,’ said North Hollywood Coach Rob Bloom, referring to Wolves junior center Victor Rudd.

The Huskies’ go-to guy is 5-11 point guard Jesse Zarate, who averages 18.2 points and 4.2 assists.

It will be up to Zarate to control the tempo and keep his teammates involved. It will up to the rest of the Huskies to get some defensive stops against Rudd, who averages 29.3 points, and senior guard Mat Hankins, who averages 18.2.

‘I think we can score on [Van Nuys],’ Bloom said. ‘I don’t know if we can stop them.’

-- Mike Terry

-- Image from www.juz-nickenich.de