When Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Martin brought sophomore Katchie Savic up to the varsity after Christmas break, he didn't do it to have her sit on the bench.

The 5-foot-6 guard is making an immediate impact.

In Tuesday's SouthWest Suburban Blue game against Lockport, she made the final one by swishing a free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining to give the Griffins a four-point lead.

When Lockport's Taylor Hopkins hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, Savic's free throw stood as the game-deciding point in East's 52-51 victory.

“I'm excited,” Savic said. “I'm so glad I made that shot. I was nervous at first, but then I said, ‘I've got this.' I've been in that situation before, so I just took my time and knocked it down.”

Lauren Hunter led the way for East (14-8, 3-2) with 16 points. Carolyn Waleski added 15 points and Anna Power pulled down eight rebounds.

Hopkins scored 18 points and Payton Grcevic added seven for Lockport (13-9, 2-3).

Savic was still a member of the Griffins' sophomore team the day she opened her Christmas presents. It was while she was playing in a sophomore tournament at Batavia that Martin told her she would be moving up.

“It motivated me to play harder in my tournament,” she said. “We actually won the whole thing.”

Martin's reasoning?

“We just felt we were struggling handling the ball in different situations,” Martin said. “Katchie is a point guard who can handle the basketball. She's a very unselfish player and makes good assists.”

Moments after entering Tuesday's game, Savic hit a 3-pointer. Right after, she had the assist on a three by Waleski.

She is seemingly fitting in well.

“I'm learning from (teammates) and the coaches,” Savic said. “I knew some of the girls from travel, so I'm comfortable.”

Waleski and Hunter, meanwhile, dominated at the basket early as East raced to a 21-7 lead after one quarter. It was 35-22 at halftime before Lockport began to chip away.

The Porters were as close as 47-46 with 47.2 seconds left when East's Lily Hicks hit both ends of a huge 1-and-1.

“You get a little nervous for a while,” Hicks said. “But you just calm down, take a deep breath and have confidence that you'll knock it down.”

Hopkins, meanwhile, hit a pair of threes, while Treasure Thompson added six points in the fourth quarter to fuel Lockport's comeback.

Porters coach Dan Kelly said the key was a simple one.

“We stopped turning the ball over,” he said. “When we executed and were under control, we made shots. You never like to lose, but the effort was amazing. We're going in the right direction.”

Argo 72, Shepard 33: Chatori Tyler had 24 points and 11 rebounds for Argo (16-5, 8-0 SSC Red).

Beecher 54, Reed-Custer 41: Taylor Johnson and Kate Ranger poured in 18 points each for Beecher (18-6). Johnson added 12 rebounds and six assists.

Chicago Christian 51, Timothy Christian 36: Janay Turner scored 24 points for Chicago Christian (15-6, 5-2 Metro Suburban Red).

Evergreen Park 49, Oak Lawn 45: De'Anna Stewart and Samariah Jones-Tinley put in 16 points apiece for Evergreen (15-6, 6-2 SSC Red).

Hillcrest 67, T.F. South 52: Kyla Cornelius, Kierra Williamson and Gia Wright had 18 points each for Hillcrest (13-7, 7-1 SSC Blue).

Lemont 43, Willowbrook 29: Mairead Ruane's 10 points led Lemont (12-6).

Queen of Peace 54, De La Salle 27: Jovanna Martinucci totaled 15 points, seven steals and four assists for Peace (21-1, 8-0 GCAC White).

Rich Central 39, Kankakee 34: Vivian Imerenezor had 18 points for Rich Central (9-10, 4-2 Southland).

Richards 49, Eisenhower 42: Halle Idowu scored 16 points for Richards (11-7, 4-4 SSC Red).

T.F. North 34, Bremen 23: Kayla Holloway had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead T.F. North.

Lockport 58, Bloom 51 (OT): Matt Smietanski (9 rebounds) and Jacob Karli scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, for Lockport (10-7).

Morgan Park 63, Brooks 55: Ayo Dosunmu contributed 23 points and eight assists for Morgan Park (12-3, 6-1 Public Red-South).

Providence 76, Rich East 72: Jake Schutter had a game-high 26 points for Providence (7-11). Aaron Washington had 21 points for Rich East (7-8).

St. Laurence 60, Reavis 44: Justin Wierzgac totaled 18 points and seven rebounds for St. Laurence (6-11). BranTrell Seymore had 16 points for Reavis (7-11).

Sandburg 51, Tinley Park 38: Jake Pygon scored 10 points for Sandburg (10-6).

Shepard 51, Peotone 48: Marquel Porter scored 12 points for Shepard (7-9).

Stagg 51, Andrew 41: Josh Strama's 16 points led Stagg (12-6).

Two good: St. Xavier's Kara Krolicki was chosen CCAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday, while Lewis' Jacob Schmiegelt earned MIVA Offensive Player of the Week accolades.

College choice: Homewood-Flossmoor basketball player James Fields has signed with Governors State.

Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed.

abaranek@tribpub.com

Twitter @tbaranek