Long before Kirsten Prue made her first crossover dribble, offered up a crisp pass or fired up a 3-pointer, Edward Little coach Craig Jipson knew she had a bright future.

Penciled in as a likely freshman starter, while she was still in middle school, Prue has lived up to the expectations.

She was one of the top passers in the KVAC last year as a first-year starter. Now, as a sophomore, she’s the offensive catalyst for the Red Eddies. EL’s success tends to rise and fall with her shooting touch and her leadership.

“What I really like about her is that she’s the definition of the kid that makes everybody around her better,” said Jipson.

Prue existed quietly last year with ample options around her offensively. She chipped in 10 points per game and led the KVAC South in assists. It was a bit of an adjustment for her, but she quickly settled into playing at the varsity level.

“It was tough,” said Prue. “I wasn’t used to it. I wasn’t used to the faster paced game.”

With Brittney French, a 1,000-point scorer, Kelsey Nicolas and Allie Forgues all regular scorers, Prue was able to chip in offensively and not force her game. This year, Prue has emerged as a scoring force out of necessity.

“We lost 95 percent of our offense, which is evident right now,” said Jipson. “She wasn’t going to make up for that. She already scored 10 points per game last year. What she needed to do is up hers to 15 points, and she’s done that.”

On some nights, she’s done even more. She helped spark the upset of Cony with 18 points. She followed that up with 28 against Lewiston, scoring 17 in the third quarter alone. She’s currently third in the KVAC South in scoring with 20.2 points and tied for first with 13 3-pointers. She’s also among the leaders in assists (3.2).

“Coach would joke around and say that I needed to score like 28 points,” said Prue, who knew from the outset that she had to embrace a more significant role. “I just kind of understood that I had to do it. I was told that I had to take more shots and that my team would understand that.”

It is a daunting task, especially when the Red Eddies gets behind and Prue has to lead the charge. It is a challenge, Prue admits she doesn’t fear.

“I like it,” she said. “It makes me play harder.”

Of course, it has its drawbacks too. Prue is getting the kind of focus from defenders she didn’t see last year. Dealing with that kind of attention and the frustration it breeds is something she’s trying to cope with. She was held to 12 points against Oxford Hills. That’s something she takes personally, even though EL’s hopes were hampered more against the Vikings by turnovers, fouls, missed free throws and rebounding

“It’s tough,” she said. “It’s tough not to show my frustration on the court.”

EL has been trying to alleviate the scoring load for Prue. EL has been working on getting people open and using Prue’s passing ability. As players develop their finishing touch and gain confidence, the Red Eddies expect to benefit.

“She’s a great player,” said Jipson. “She has great vision and is a phenomenal passer.”

An often overlooked aspect of Prue’s game is her defense. Prue is always hustling after loose balls and rebounds. Nothing highlights that better than her dive for a ball headed out of bounds after a steal against Lewiston. She saved it, knocked it up the court for a teammate to finish off an easy layup.

“I tell kids all the time that the biggest compliment to her is that usually a kid that is an offensive star dogs it on defense,” said Jipson. “She never ever dogs it on the defensive side. She plays as hard as anybody on the floor.”