FREEPORT — They wanted to win conference. They just missed as freshmen, and then beat out three-time defending champ Hononegah as sophomores.

Then they wanted to be undefeated NIC-10 champs. They achieved that as juniors.

Four-year starters Katie Norman, Kelsey Hoefer and Courtney Shiffer, plus second-team all-state guard Suporia Dickens, have only one real goal left at Freeport: Win state.

It’s a goal the all-conference quartet has had nine months to think about, ever since the Pretzels became the first-ever NIC-10 girls basketball team to reach the state finals, finishing second in Class 3A.

“Not many days go by where we don’t hear something about that,” coach Ryan Pierce said. “Some people ask it, and some people just say it: You’re going to make it to state again.”

The Pretzels are used to putting pressure on the NIC-10.

“They have so much length, it’s sickening,” Belvidere North coach Michael Bradford said. “It seems like they are in every passing lane.”

This year, though, the pressure is on the Pretzels. They begin the year ranked a close No. 2 in the state Class 3A poll, two points behind Lombard Montini. No. 3 is Peoria Richwoods. No. 4 is Chicago Marshall.

All are familiar faces. Freeport upset Richwoods in the supersectionals and Montini in the state semifinals last year before losing to Marshall in the title game after leading late in the third quarter.

“Things aren’t going to change at the top,” Pierce said.

It’s not supposed to change at Freeport, either. Not when the Pretzels return a quartet of first-team all-conference players, plus top sub Caitlin Greene.

But that brings pressure. And so does knowing this is the last go-around for a fantastic four that will finish with more all-conference selections than any quartet in NIC-10 history.

“With the players we bring back, we expect to be there again,” Pierce said. “If we don’t, we’ll have to try to convince ourselves afterward we had a successful season, but the plan is we don’t have to convince ourselves.

“We want to take one more step, and there is only one more step. It will be in our faces all year. It will come from fans, media and teachers. It’s a good problem to have.”

The Pretzels have prepared for this problem. Norman, a first-team all-conference forward ever since her freshman year, and Dickens, the NIC-10’s most dominant rebounder as a 5-foot-8 guard, will again lead Freeport.

“None of our opponents want to hear this, but we’ve seen two players take a clear step up in their game from last year. Suporia and Katie Norman are clearly better,” Pierce said. “And they were already our two best players. And the best players returning in the conference.

“Suporia is seeing the floor better. She is making passes in practice that she didn’t see last year and is using the attention she draws to set her teammates up. We’re going to see her assists double or triple.

“Katie has more confidence in her shot and is a stronger finisher each year.”

Will the Pretzels’ fantastic four finish their career strong enough to satisfy expectations? That’s their only question.

And it won’t have an easy answer.

“Once you get to the sectional finals, you are playing teams each night that could just as easily win the state championship as go home,” Pierce said. “But that’s the mark of a champion: Coming through.”

Assistant Sports Editor Matt Trowbridge can be reached at: 815-987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.

Pretzels at a glance
Coach: Ryan Pierce (7th year, 121-59).
Last season: 30-5 (16-0, NIC-10 champion, lost in the state Class 3A finals).
Returning starters: Katie Norman (5-9, Sr.), Kelsey Hoefer (5-10, Sr.), Courtney Shiffer (5-11, Sr.), Suporia Dickens (5-8, Sr.).
Other key players: Caitlin Greene (5-5, Jr.), Leah Dietmeier (5-5, Sr.), Heather Kittoe-DeBoer (5-7, Sr.), Morgan Wagner (5-9, Sr.).
Strengths: Unprecedented experience with three four-year starters in Norman, Hoefer and Shiffer. Talent; Dickens, a second-team All-State pick last year, and Norman are the two best players in the NIC-10. Teamwork. Balance. Coaching.
Weaknesses: Outside shooting. No overwhelming offensive star.
Outlook: The Pretzels are near shoo-ins to win their third consecutive conference title and should be one of the top five teams in the state. A year after becoming the first NIC-10 girls basketball team to reach the state finals, they could become the first to win state.