The Heart of Illinois Conference looks to feature another competitive season with a pair of Peoria-area teams standing out at the top. A conference where experience is especially key, big groups of juniors and seniors will hope to lead their teams to strong years
Eureka and Tremont stood above the rest in 2023 and are primed to do so again this year. Even though the Hornets lost multiple key starters to the college level, success has become the norm year in and year out. Tremont’s Blaine Williams, a University of Illinois commit, was already one of the best players in the conference last season and is just a junior. Dee-Mack has exceptionally strong potential to break out with a wealth of returnees while El Paso-Gridley and Fieldcrest won’t be easy teams to face for anybody.
Below, we take a look at the top returners, breakout candidates, and games to watch for each Peoria and Bloomington/Normal-area team in the Heart of Illinois Conference. Schools are listed alphabetically.