Gabor’s 44 Points Sets Grant Record

Natalie Gabor’s number was up.

Grant High’s point guard matched her jersey number with a career-high 44 points Wednesday in the Lancers’ 99-32 victory over Van Nuys.

Gabor set a single-game school record, previously held by Poma Stevenson, who scored 36 in a game in the 1995-96 season.

Gabor, Grant’s only senior, made 19 of 22 shots, including four of six from three-point range. She was two of three from the free-throw line.

“I’m amazed by that,” Grant Coach Steve Brumwell said of Gabor’s outburst. “We’re not a team that usually does that.”

Grant (16-8, 8-1 in Mid-Valley League play) entered the week with four players averaging between nine and 12 points. Of those players, Gabor’s 9.5 average was the lowest.

Her record-setting effort came when the Lancers needed it most. Grant, which hosts North Hollywood at 4 p.m. today, played Van Nuys with only six players.

Kathleen Mallon and Alma Ibarra sat out because of illness and top reserve Leslie Mui played only one quarter because of shin splints.

But the absences didn’t matter, thanks to Gabor’s hot hand.

“She was hitting everything, so I just left her in there,” Brumwell said.

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Tyler Ebell is the only sophomore on the Ventura boys’ team, but that doesn’t mean the 5-foot-7 guard is afraid of taking a big shot.

Ebell, who rushed for 1,268 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last football season, made three three-point baskets to help Ventura upset Santa Barbara, 56-47, in a Channel League game last week.

Ebell’s first three-pointer gave the No. 10-ranked Cougars ) a 30-28 lead early in the third quarter, and his second gave Ventura a 33-30 lead.

His final three-pointer gave the Cougars a 46-39 advantage with 6:32 to play.

“I don’t think Tyler is afraid of many things,” Coach Dan Larson of Ventura said. “You’re talking about a kid who rushed for 1,200 yards and weighs about 150 pounds.”

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With a 48-45 victory over Sylmar on Wednesday, the Reseda High girls’ team clinched its first East Valley League title since the 1991-92 season.

The Regents (8-12, 6-3) took a two-game lead over second-place Sylmar entering today’s final regular-season games.

“It’s been a long haul,” said Reseda Coach Mike Wagner, whose team was 8-11 overall and 5-5 in league play last season.

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Staff writer John Ortega and correspondent Lauren Peterson contributed to this notebook.