Peach Belt Announces Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team

AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2009 women’s basketball All-Conference team on the eve of the PBC Tournament. Columbus State’s Phebe Smith was named the league’s Player of the Year while Lander’s Ciara Lyons was named the Freshman of the Year. Francis Marion’s Heather Macy was named the Coach of the Year.

Smith became the first player in 17 years to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding. A junior forward from Marietta, Ga., she averaged 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, setting Columbus State single-season records for scoring with 563 points and in rebounding with 331. The 331 boards is currently tied as the seventh-highest single-season amount in PBC history and will increase as CSU plays in the PBC Tournament. She also led the league with 18 double-doubles this year. Smith becomes the second Lady Cougars to earn Player of the Year honors, the first since Kinesha Harden was named a co-Player of the Year in 2001.

Ciara Lyons played in all 27 games for Lander in her freshman season, making 21 starts. The native of Augusta, Ga., was second on the team and 10th in the PBC in scoring with 12.6 points per game. She upped that average to 13.9 ppg against conference opponents and was ranked ninth in the PBC in field goal percentage. She scored 20 or more points in five games and was third on the team in rebounding. Lyons becomes the first Bearcat to ever be named the PBC Freshman of the Year.

Heather Macy takes home her second PBC Coach of the Year award in as many seasons leading the Francis Marion Patriots. Macy claimed her second straight PBC regular-season championship in 2009 and the Patriots are the top seed for the upcoming PBC tournament. For the second straight year Francis Marion leads the nation in scoring offense at better than 89 points per game. The Patriots also lead the nation in scoring margin and steals per game. Macy and the Patriots are currently 24-3 on the season and ranked #7 in the nation. She becomes the first coach in PBC history to win the Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

Below is the 2009 women’s basketball All-Conference team. The team was selected by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players. Due to a pair of ties, the size of the first team was increased to six and the overall team size was increased to 16.

2009 Peach Belt Conference
Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team

First Team
Morgan Johnson, USC Aiken
Syretha Marble, North Georgia
Kevina Ransom, Francis Marion
Shannon Singleton-Bates, Francis Marion
Phebe Smith, Columbus State
Lacey Willis, Armstrong Atlantic State

Second Team
Tiauna Brantley, GCSU
Meredith Legg, USC Aiken
Shannon McKever, Lander
Shandrea Moore, GCSU
Nikkisha Pritchett, Clayton State

Third Team
TaSheba Butler, Lander
Jasmine Godwin, Augusta State
JaToya Kemp, UNC Pembroke
Ciara Lyons, Lander
Whitney Randolph, North Georgia

Player of the Year
Phebe Smith, Columbus State

Freshman of the Year
Ciara Lyons, Lander

Coach of the Year
Heather Macy, Francis Marion