Wednesday, March 1, 2006

MARBLE AND BURSON TAKE TOP PBC HONORS
Katie Williamson Selected to All-Conference Team

Augusta, Ga. – North Georgia’s Syretha Marble was named the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year along with head coach Buffie Burson who was named was PBC named Coach of the Year by conference commissioner Marvin Vanover this week. Lady Saints senior guard Katie Williamson was selected to the All-Conference team along with Marble.

Marble becomes the first North Georgia player to capture a major conference honor after leading the Lady Saints to the 2006 PBC Championship in the school’s first year as a part of the conference. Marble was key in North Georgia’s success, averaging 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She was also named the PBC Player of the Week on Jan. 16.

Burson made quite an impression as she guided her Lady Saints into the Peach Belt Conference this season and promptly won the regular-season Championship with a 23-4 overall mark, 19-1 in the conference, setting a new PBC record for most conference wins in a season. In her 12th season at North Georgia, Burson was named Coach of the Year by the GCAA three times and now claims her first PBC Coach of the Year award. Burson is only four wins away from her 300th career victory and has amassed 296 wins with only 97 losses in her career.

Williamson finishes her career as a Lady Saint with four conference championships, three conference tournament championships, and three NAIA National Tournament appearances. Williamson averaged a career best 14.8 ppg and .919 free throw percentage, a PBC best. She ranked in the top-10 in eight different categories in the conference this season and holds the all-time record in free throw percentage in NGCSU program history with a .882 (456-517) percentage.

Yakeeshia Ross becomes the third USC Upstate player to receive the Player of the Year award but the first since Valerie Scott in 1993-94. Ross was dominant in the PBC this year as she was tied for the league lead in scoring with 16.3 ppg and led the conference in rebounding with 10.5 per game. A four-time PBC Player of the Week, the senior becomes the only player in PBC women’s basketball history to win both the Freshman of the Year, which she did in 2003, and the Player of the Year awards.

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