Analysis: Andrew's Second-Half Turnaround the Key

For much of the first half, it was all about defense. Andrew and Lincoln-Way North combined for nine field goals and the T-Bolts led 15-10 at halftime of Monday's girls basketball showdown in Tinley Park.

Freshman Molly Franson, the T-Bolts' sixth man, scored eight of Andrew’s 15 points and kept her counterpart, 6-3 forward Emily Jenkins of Lincoln-Way North, scoreless for the first half. 

“I told the girls during halftime that the fact that we scored only 15 points in the first half and were still leading was a positive,” Andrew coach Bob Matz said. 

After a pair of jumpers by the Phoenix closed the gap to one, the T-Bolts responded with a 13-2 scoring burst to close the third quarter. The Andrew guards, led by Tiana Karopulos, were able to work their way around the Phoenix 2-3 zone. 

The T-Bolt guards also cracked Lincoln-Way North's full-court pressure with long passes to forwards Nicole Boitch and Shannon Clark, creating several odd-man situations that left the Phoenix out of position and overmatched. 

On defense, Andrew used its 2-2-1 zone to keep the ball from reaching the Phoenix forwards and forced eight third-quarter turnovers. 

The Phoenix were able to close the gap to seven late in the fourth quarter, but they were too far behind and couldn’t take advantage of Andrew’s foul trouble on offense. Instead, the T-Bolts went to the line and sank eight free throws in the final minute to close the game. 

As a team, the T-Bolts went 15-of-17 from the free throw line, which surprised Matz. “Free throws have been our achilles heel all season until about two, three weeks ago,” he said. “We really worked hard on it in practice and it paid off.” 

The same could not be said for the Phoenix, who went 3-for-13 from the line and 1-for-7 in the fourth quarter.

“We’re usually a strong free throw shooting team,” Phoenix coach Jim Nair said. 

For whatever reason, though, the Phoenix couldn’t find the bottom of the net and it hurt them dearly in a crucial Southwest Suburban Red game. 

Stats Pack: The T-Bolts showed off their versatility on offense in the fourth quarter. All six players who logged significant minutes in the game scored at least two points in the quarter.

Play of the Night: Fresh off the bench, Franson grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul, setting up a three-point play that she completed in the first quarter with 3:01 left. It was the first of three 3-point plays for the 6-1 freshman. 

Past History: The T-Bolts defeated the Phoenix 52-45 on Jan. 11 in Frankfort. 

Quotable: About Andrew’s tendency for close games, Matz said: “The close ones are making us better as a team.”

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