Vicksburg's Williams and Franklin, WC's Smith picked for state all-star games - The Vicksburg Post

Vicksburg’s Williams and Franklin, WC’s Smith picked for state all-star games

Published 11:02 am Friday, January 13, 2023

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Vicksburg High basketball player Malik Franklin was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. Franklin is averaging 15.2 points per game this season. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg's Davian Williams was selected to play in the Mississippi Association of Coaches Mississippi All-Star Game. Williams leads the Gators in scoring at 17.4 points per game. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's Jae'la Smith (10) dribbles the basketball during a game in 2021. Smith was selected to play in the Mississippi Association of Coaches Mississippi All-Star Game, which will be held March 18 at Mississippi College in Clinton. (File/The Vicksburg Post)

The stars have come out for Warren County’s basketball teams.

Three players — Vicksburg’s Davian Williams and Malik Franklin, and Warren Central’s Jae’la Smith — were selected to play in the Mississippi Association of Coaches all-star games on Thursday.

Williams and Smith were picked to play in the boys’ and girls’ Mississippi Class 4A/5A/6A all-star game, respectively.
The Mississippi all-star game is March 18 at Mississippi College in Clinton.

Williams is averaging 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 4.9 assists this season. Smith is Warren Central’s leading scorer and has helped the Lady Vikes to a 9-6 record heading into Friday’s road game at Terry.

Franklin will play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game on March 11 in Mobile, Alabama. The senior guard is averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists this season.

Franklin’s selection marks the fifth time in six seasons that a Warren County player has been picked for the

Mississippi-Alabama game, which is for current seniors. The selections of Smith and Williams marks the second season in a row that two Warren County players have been selected for the Mississippi all-star game, which is for juniors. Vicksburg’s Franklin and Layla Carter both played in it in 2022.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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