Men's Basketball | 3/2/2009 2:04:00 PM

PRINCETON, W.Va. – A trio of West Liberty standouts have been honored by the West Virginia Conference coaches on the 2009 All-West Virginia Conference men's basketball team.

   Senior guard Ben Howlett was a first-team selection while sophomore backcourter Corey Pelle earned second-team honors. Senior forward Shane Maynard, who broke the school's career scoring record earlier this month, received honorable mention in the coaches' balloting.

   Howlett, a 6-1 sharpshooter from Marietta, Ohio, has ranked among the national scoring leaders throughout the season in helping lead West Liberty to its fifth straight 20-win campaign.

   Howlett enters this week's WVIAC tournament as one of the top 10 scorers in the nation at 22.7 ppg. and has been the model of consistency, hitting double figures in 26 of the Hilltoppers' 27 games.

   He has topped the 30-point mark three times, including a dazzling performance in a 114-110 double-overtime win against NAIA powerhouse Pikeville (Ky.). In that late December game, Howlett hit 15-of-19 shots from the floor and tied his career high with 39 points while playing 49 of 50 minutes.

   Howlett's big senior season has propelled him into the top 10 on West Liberty's list of career scorers with 1,584 points.

   Pelle, a 5-11 speedster from Silver Grove, Ky., is the team's second-leading scorer at 17.2 ppg. and has enjoyed a record-setting sophomore season.

   He broke West Liberty's school single-season steals record earlier this month and is currently leading the WVIAC with 78 swipes. Pelle has also set the school's sophomore record for assists with 158 helpers and has topped the 20-point mark on eight separate occasions.

   Maynard made history earlier this month when he broke Spencer Johnson's 25-year-old career scoring mark. The 6-5 senior from Beckley has upped that record to 2,186 points heading into this week's tournament and also has the school career record for field goal attempts with 1,677.

   Maynard, who has hit double figures a staggering 105 times during his West Liberty career, is averaging 14.0 ppg. this season.

   Rounding out the All-WVIAC first team are Ted Scott and Ricky Jackson of West Virginia State; Sam Liggins and Stan Hall of Alderson-Broaddus; Quinton Davis and Marcus Tullis of Pitt-Johnstown; Tryvan Leech of Glenville State and Fairmont State's Thad McFadden.

   Scott was named Player of the Year while State's Bryan Poore won Coach of the Year. Wheeling Jesuit's Cedric Harris was Freshman of the Year.

   Following is a complete list of the All-WVIAC honor roll:

 

2008-09 All-WVIAC Men's Basketball Team

First Team

Quinton Davis (Pitt Johnstown, Sr., G, 6-3, West Mifflin, PA, 17.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.0 apg)

Stan Hall (Alderson-Broaddus, Sr., G, 6-3, Canton, OH, 23.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 53% FG)

Ben Howlett (West Liberty, Sr., G, 6-0, Marietta, OH, 22.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 62% FG)

Ricky Jackson (WV State, Jr., F, 6-6, Canton, OH, 17.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 66% FG)

Tryvan Leech (Glenville State, Sr., G/F, 6-5, Springfield, OH, 19.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 48% 3PT FG)

Sam Liggins (Alderson-Broaddus, Sr., G, 5-10, Cleveland, OH, 18.9 ppg, 112 3PT FG, 44% 3PT FG)

Thad McFadden (Fairmont State, Sr., G, 6-2, Flint, MI, 24.8 pg, 5.4 rpg, 3.8 apg)

Ted Scott (WV State, Sr., G, 6-1, Columbus, OH, 23.5 ppg, 2.7 apg, 51% FG)

Marcus Tullis (Pitt Johnstown, Sr., F, 6-6, Johnstown, PA, 17.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 58% FG)

Second Team

Anthony Anderson (Charleston, Sr., G, 6-0, Cleveland, OH, 17.5 ppg, 7.1 apg)

Terrell Eargle (Alderson-Broaddus, Jr., G, 6-4, Youngstown, OH, 11.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.7 apg)

Cedric Harris (Wheeling Jesuit, Fr., G, 5-11, Zanesville, OH, 19.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, 93% FT)

Darren Jones (WV State, Jr., G, 5-9, Cleveland, OH, 15.9 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.1 rpg)

Corey Pelle (West Liberty, Soph., G, 5-11, Silver Grove, KY, 17.2 ppg, 5.9 apg, 3.0 spg)

Jordan Thomas (Seton Hill, Sr., G, 6-1, Jeannette, PA, 19.4 ppg, 3.1 apg)

Liki Turner (Shepherd, Soph., F, 6-6, Richmond, VA, 14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg)

Tim Turner (Davis & Elkins, Soph., G, 6-1, Stafford, VA, 21.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg)

Honorable Mention

Raylon Almon (Bluefield State, Jr., G, 6-1, Columbus, OH, 20.9 ppg, 2.8 apg)

Cordale Boyd (Concord, Sr., G, 6-2, Cincinnati, OH, 16.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Chris Carey (Salem International, Sr., F, 6-5, Morgantown, WV, 18.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Jamal Holden (Glenville State, Jr., G, 6-2, Apple Valley, CA, 11.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.0 apg, 91% FT)

Justin Jarman (Shepherd, Sr., C, 6-8, Monongah, WV, 13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 60% FG)

Anthony Kimble (Glenville State, Sr., F, 6-5, Long Beach, CA, 18.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

Shane Maynard (West Liberty, Sr., F, 6-4, Beckley, WV, 14.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg)

Neven Zeravica (WV Wesleyan, Soph., C, 6-8, Osijek, Croatia, 13.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 57% FG)