I expected good matchups Wednesday night at Poplar Bluff High School, and the games delivered.

State-ranked girls teams Greenville and Portageville battled to the final minutes before the Bears pulled away with a 67-60 victory.

New Madrid County Central and Doniphan played an equally entertaining boys game to follow with a late stop by New Madrid County Central resulting in a 46-43 upset win.

The games also featured standout performances by individuals -- Greenville's Sarah Woodgeard and New Madrid County Central sophomore Kony Ealy.

Woodgeard, a 5-foot-10 senior who plays a lot of point guard for Greenville, pumped in 41 points to lead the Bears. The total marked her season-high and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Bears (22-4) came into the game No. 5 in the state while Portageville (25-4) was No. 3. The teams had lost previously to the likes of Naylor and Dexter.

Woodgeard made 12 field goals and one 3-pointer. She was 14-for-18 on free throws, including 10 of 11 in the fourth period to help seal the win. She scored 18 in the first half and had 14 in the final stanza.

I'd heard about Woodgeard for three years, first from Delta's Randy White, but this was my first time seeing her play. She may be the best girls player I've seen (hoping to catch Naylor yet this season) with her ability to drive with the ball and a very accurate shot in close. We have some video coming for the Web site with some extremely athletic plays.

She got some help from teammates such as Lindsay Henson, who had 13 points on three 3-pointers.

Woodgeard did miss a few field goals in the fourth period, which opened the door for Portageville.

The Bears led 23-14 after one period and 34-27 at halftime. Woodgeard converted on a three-point play in the second period that helped keep Greenville in control.

Portageville outscored Greenville 7-1 over the final portion of the third period to close within 45-44.

Portageville at one point was up 57-54 and heading to the line for a 1-and-1 but missed the free throw -- more on that later -- and fouled Woodgeard on the rebound. She hit two free throws and scored a reverse layin on the next possession to give Greenville a 58-57 lead.

A potentially game-changing play: Portageville got the ball to Brittney Walker with space in the lane, but Greenville converged on her, knocking her off balance as she put up a shot that was blocked. No foul was called, Portageville took another tough shot right away. Greenville's Tara Porter grabbed the rebound and made a long outlet pass to Woodgeard for a layin.

Portageville had free throws with 1:17 to play and the score tied 60-60 and missed the front end of a one-and-one. They missed another front end with the score 62-60 Greenville with 38 seconds to play.

For the game, Portageville was a disastrous 12-for-32 on free throws.

Walker led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Kellye Penn added 13 and Mallory Bidewell had 10.

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Kony Ealy wasn't quite as dominant as Woodgeard, but he came up with some key baskets among his 24 points in New Madrid County Central's sectional victory.

After Doniphan had led by as many as 21-12 -- after Greg Davis hit a trey in the second period -- Ely helped New Madrid grab a 29-28 lead by hitting an open 3-pointer.

He hit another 3-pointer with 3:37 remaining in the game to give the Eagles a 39-38 lead. After Lance Price drove down the lane to extend NMCC's lead to three, Doniphan reclaimed the lead.

Ely hit the key shot in the late going by grabbing a rebound of a missed NMCC free throw and putting it back in.

New Madrid went ahead 44-43, and the Eagles missed two shots in the final minute to extend the lead. Doniphan had a possession with 22 seconds to play but Ely came up with a steal to give NMCC possession.

After the Eagles bumped the lead to 46-43, Doniphan missed a desperation 3-pointer.

Price added 10 for New Madrid, which had just four players score.

Charles Wilson led Doniphan with 17.

(Sidebar story: I go into McDonald's in Poplar Bluff, and the NMCC arrives soon after. They order food one after another, using their uniform numbers to keep it straight. When the woman behind the counter says the order is up No. 23, someone responds, "We don't have a No. 23." Ely, who wears No. 22 and is one of the team's tallest players at 6-5, makes his way to the counter. His teammates give him trouble about not knowing his own number. As Ely walks away from the counter, he says, "I was shooting like Jordan tonight.")

So, if the Semoball boys team were to include Nick Niemczyk, Ryan Willen, Jake Leet and Michael Porter, is the No. 5 guy now the emerging sophomore, Kony Ealy?