Ellington's Whitney Morgan reaches out to block a shot by Greenville's Tara Porter during Monday's game. (Brad Hurt/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

GREENVILLE -- Tara Porter and Sara Woodgeard scored 24 points apiece for Greenville as the Lady Bears used their size advantage inside to wear out the visiting Ellington Lady Whippets 59-43.

The Lady Whippets hung around through the first 20 minutes of the game before the Lady Bears' defense and rebounding became too much for them to overcome.

"We knew their size would be a problem coming into the game," said Ellington coach Paula King.

The Lady Whippets (8-8) tried to answer in the post with 5-foot-11 freshman Whitney Morgan and 5-foot-9 sophomore Laura Parkhill, who combined to score 16 points, but they could not contain the Greenville pair on defense.

The Lady Bears (15-3) finally gained control of the game with an 11-2 run in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 40-24.

Woodgeard initiated the run with a 3-point play, cleaning up a teammate's miss and drawing a foul. Layups by Woodgeard and Lindsay Henson completed the run. Seven of the nine points in the sequence came off Ellington turnovers.

"We're just playing our normal defense," said Greenville coach Diane Meyer.

The Lady Bears' effort on the boards impressed their coach, especially on the offensive end of the floor, where they continually got second and third chances to score.

Porter and Woodgeard each had key baskets following a teammate's miss, with each basket pushing the Lady Bears' lead back into double figures.

"Sara is just flying in there, and all five girls are starting to block out. Sara does it automatically. I think she jumps better than anyone in the area," Meyer said of Woodgeard, who is a McDonald's All-American nominee.

The Lady Bears also used their size to intimidate Ellington shooters on defense.

On one Lady Whippets third-quarter possession Porter recorded three blocked shots, although Cassie Shelton eventually converted a layup to make the score 40-26 in favor of the Lady Bears.

"We tried to get a body on them, but it's tough," said King.

The game featured scoring runs on both ends of the floor as each offense found its stride several times over the course of the game.

The Lady Bears jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the game's first 3 minutes only to see the Lady Whippets rattle off five straight points.

Greenville then ended the first quarter with a 9-2 run keyed by layups from Woodgeard and Henson to take a 19-10 lead into the break.

The Lady Bears scored the first seven points of the second quarter before the Lady Whippets answered with a 7-0 run of their own. Shelton knocked down a 3-pointer from the left side to complete the run and trim the Greenville lead to 26-19. Rachel Roberts ended the half by making a running one-hander with time running out to send the Lady Whippets off the court trailing 29-22.

"We did a better job of running the offense tonight," King said.

The Lady Whippets' ability to recover and continue to go after the Greenville lead made it difficult for the Lady Bears to relax, Meyer said.

"They never quit," she said of the Lady Whippets. "I didn't sub earlier because they made runs at us."