Girls Basketball: Andrew's Botich Making Inside Presence Felt

Nicole Botich didn't anticipate being the interior go-to scoring presence for .

The senior entered the season as one of the team's two proven inside scorers, but with standout 6-foot-1 sophomore Molly Franson injured and likely sidelined for the season, Botich immediately has become the team's main force inside.

During , Botich had no problem controlling the glass and scoring against the Titans and 6-foot-3 freshman Lindsay Lannen. Botich scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in the opening quarter as the Thunderbolts exploded to a 23-8 lead after one quarter.

"For every game, we want to be the leaders and set the tone," Botich said. "We want to play at our pace, and it was good to get their hopes down early."

Botich and Franson shined as teammates during the summer, both for the Thunderbolts and via the AAU circuit. While Franson's injury certainly hurts the Thunderbolts, the team has plenty of other weapons to make Andrew a formidable opponent every night.

Junior guard Tiana Karopulos can score and create easy buckets for her teammates, Liz Jendra can knock down the 3-pointer, and Catherine Foley, a junior transfer from Providence Catholic, has been a nice early-season boost. Foley scored 12 points in the win over Tinley Park.

"When I met (Foley), she was fun," Botich said. "And then at practice I realized she was good. I love having her on the team."

The same can be said for Botich, who has welcome the greater challenge created by Franson's injury.

"Teams have to worry about her," Andrew coach Bob Matz said. "Honestly, I think tonight if we played a little smarter she would've had more points."

The season is still young, so Botich isn't looking too far ahead. She doesn't think Franson will be able to return this season, but she isn't counting out the possibility. She also isn't looking too far ahead to what lies beyond graduation, although she would like to play college hoops.

"I'm just going in and playing the best I can right now and trying to get better," she said. "(Franson's) still here though, always helping me out with my moves and stuff, so she's still here."

As is Botich, who will likely continue to cause problems for opponents through the remainder of the season.