DIXFIELD — Karen Magnusson calls over her starting point guard to offer instruction, but Emma Lueders probably doesn’t have to be told. She already knows.

The junior guard has become Dirigo’s leader and floor general. She knows what needs to be done and often knows what needs fixing when it goes wrong.

“I went to yell and she looked at me and said, ‘I know, Coach, I know. I needed to get the ball.’” Magnusson said of one recent game moment. “It’s good because she’s learning me. So by the end of the year, she’ll know what she needs to do.”

Lueders is Dirigo’s standout guard that runs the show in the backcourt. You might not notice her in the box score and her stats might not jump out at you, but she’s one of the Cougars’ most important players. She does all the little things in the game that keep Dirigo on track. Whether it is her skills as a player or her confidence as a leader, she brings so much to Dirigo’s game.

“Not a lot of people notice the things she does,” Magnusson said. “She plays the whole game. She runs the floor and tells people where they need to be. She takes care of the basketball. She’s emerged as a leader also. She’s out there talking to people and trying to get them focused.”

Magnusson can relate to the role Lueders provides the Cougars. She was a standout point guard herself at Cony and at UMaine-Farmington. She appreciates all the things that Lueders does and is excited about the potential she is growing into.

“From experience, having someone out there that can be a general, that can talk and tell people what they need to do, is huge,” Magnusson said. “It’s another mini-coach on the court. That’s something you can’t teach. It’s something they have, and she has that.”

Having a new coach with a similar background has benefited the junior guard. She’s continued to evolve her in role since making varsity as a freshman, but she’s come into her own this season.

“She really pushes me,” Lueders said. “She wants us all to improve. She pushes everybody. She wants the best out of us.”

Lueders also credits her teammates. It’s a close group that has played together for years. They work well together.

“My teammates push me so hard,” Lueders said. “They make me improve. I just feel like, without them, I wouldn’t be half the player that I am. We’ve always been together. We’re all friends. It’s perfect. It’s a great atmosphere. They push you and you push them. You tell them and they tell you. It’s great.”

Lueders joined the Cougars as a freshman and it was obvious that she was a team leader in the making. She had great skills for a newcomer and possessed a poise that not a lot of freshmen arrive with. She was one of the better Cougar players despite her inexperience at that level.

“I just play,” Lueders said of her freshman year. “Everybody was so supportive. It wasn’t anything that was big and scary. You just come and play.”

She’s only continued that progression since then. Last year, Dirigo toppled top-ranked St. Dom’s and gave Madison a battle in the Western C semifinals. Lueders was hampered by a hip injury during the tournament. She tried to gut it out, she was missed in the lineup. Dirigo eventually lost to the Bulldogs despite a late-game rally.

Dirigo is among the contenders in Western C once again. The Cougars (11-2) are a formidable team, currently seeded third. With Jessica Conant and Kelsey Hutchins in the post, the perimeter shooting of Lauren Henderson and the play of guard Sabrina Daoud, Dirigo is an experienced team with balance and depth. Lueders is a driving force behind that group.

“She’s really stepped up her game since the summer to now,” Magnusson said. “She’s become more of a scorer, and she’s never looked to score. She’s becoming a great defensive player. She’s able to lead our group. She able to tell us what we need to do, and she’s getting better at it, which is important for us.”

Lueders has learned what it takes to guide and lead this team.

“I’m playing with a lot more confidence,” Lueders said. “It comes from the energy and the encouragement from my teammates. They’re so encouraging that it just helps build anyone’s confidence.”

Lueders emerges a little more each game. Whether she’s vocalizing to her team, being more aggressive as a scorer, energizing her teammates or just doing the little things like handling the ball and running the offense, the team has trust in her play.

“It’s a matter of just being pushed,” Lueders said. “ I’m constantly pushed. The confidence, the energy, the encouragement, it all makes a huge difference. That’s one of the biggest things we’ve improved on this year – our energy. If we don’t have energy, we don’t play well. If we have energy we can play with the best of them. “

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