John Paul Schilling competes in Illinois v. Iowa All-Star Game
On March 20, 2023, Sterling senior John Paul Schilling participated in the Pepsi Illinois vs. Iowa All-Star game. Schilling was selected to join the Illinois team earlier this month. Prior to this, Schilling played varsity basketball for Sterling since his freshman year.
Schilling and the Illinois boys team competed against the Iowa boys team at Augustana College’s Carver Center. Before the boys game, the girls game took place and then the boys game kicked off at 7:30 p.m.
Along with the night of the doubleheaders, a three-point contest was held after the girls game. Once the girl’s game was complete, a dunk contest was held as well.
According to Schilling, “the game was a very fun experience, they really had a great crowd for it.” Throughout the night there was an electric atmosphere, a perfect opportunity to see some of the best talent from the Quad City Area.
Along with Schilling, there
were players from other schools in the area set to participate. These players were from Alleman, Galesburg, Geneseo, Moline, Rock Island, and United Township. On the Iowa side of the river, players from Assumption, Bettendorf, Central DeWitt, Clinton, Davenport Central, Davenport North, Davenport West, Pleasant Valley, North Scott, and Wilton were present for the Iowa team.
With the game, the all-star weekend was an experience for Schilling. Schilling said, “the set up was really cool, we had practice the day before on a Sunday. We had talked about the day, concerning the contests I could enter [dunk and three point]. I chose to participate in the three- point contest.”
Being selected to participate in this game was an honor for Schilling and his coaches. Coach Ryan Vasquez said, “It was an honor for John to be selected to participate and represent Sterling High School. With that, it was a great experience for him to be surrounded by high caliber players as well.”
The all-star game happened after both Illinois and Iowa State Championships. This meant that the students selected had the opportunity to wear their jerseys one last time after their regular seasons concluded. Schilling said “we just had fun playing together one last time, and of course, we beat Iowa.”
The Illinois boys were victorious 129-118 and Schilling ended his high school career with a win.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Sterling High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
