By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

WINTHROP – At some point Monday evening, Katie Pushard recognized the hot hand, and it wasn’t hers.

So the Winthrop guard made sure that she provided teammate Emilie Knight with plenty of passes inside. The end result was that Knight had a career-high 26 points.

“When I’m off, I don’t want to stop shooting, but I might try to pass it off more,” said the sophomore Pushard. “Emilie was really on. So I tried to get the ball to her as much as possible.”

On this evening, it was Knight who thrived, but Pushard has had her time to shine. While Knight, a junior forward, had a career game against Hall-Dale, Pushard had her personal best against Dirigo with 18. She’s since surpassed that numerous times.

Winthrop is making its annual push for a trip to Augusta, and Pushard and Knight have been instrumental. After graduating four seniors last year, both knew they were next in line.

“It was kind of like OK, Emilie, it’s your time. You have to do it.'” Knight recalls.

To reach Augusta for the 21st consecutive year, the Ramblers knew it needed players to step forward, but coach Lonney Steeves wasn’t going to anoint anyone.

“Trying to set your team up around particular players or a person can lead you to disaster,” said Steeves. “If something happens to them, then what will you do? Our concept is a team concept, and the players that are open and available are the ones that are going to score. Obviously, when you put two dominant players like (Pushard and Knight) out there, they find ways to get involved.”

Pushard and Knight have thrived in the Winthrop system. Lindsey Laflamme, Abby Cobb and Nicki Emery are the three captains while three other seniors, Aimee Simoneau, Ashley Burgess and Mackenzie Demkowicz, bring experience and leadership as well. With players like Amanda Garwood and Kelli Lascko also chipping in, Pushard and Knight have plenty of support.

“We have other people that can score,” said Pushard, a teammate of Knight since elementary school. “This summer, we realized we didn’t have the team we had last year, and we had to group together, but we knew we had a lot of potential.”

Knight was an all-conference player last year and led the team in scoring. With the loss of Anna Warner inside, a lot of responsibility fell to Knight. She had a slow start due to a knee injury from soccer last summer, but she’s been going strong lately, averaging 12 points and 13 rebounds.

“Because I don’t have that huge dependence on just me, my game has evolved as a team player,” said Knight. I’ve been up and down, but in the end, I think it’s been one of my strongest years.”

Steeves says Knight has developed a knack for staking out territory under the basket. He has always thought her game could model that of former Dirigo post player Lyndsay Clark.

“She’s finding space,” he said. “She’s learning how to seal space. She’s learning how to use the space, and then finish it off.”

Pushard has also become an offensive force. She’s doubled her average from a year ago, scoring nearly 13 points per game. With her 3-point range and ability to drive, she’s added a knack for hitting the mid-range shot. While Cobb has helped Knight inside, Emery and Laflamme have helped Pushard on the perimeter.

“I think my confidence level has developed now that I’m a sophomore, and this is my second year,” said Pushard. “I just didn’t know, being a freshman, whether I should shoot it or pass it. With my confidence level now, I don’t second-guess myself.”

Both have taken significant steps forward. The six seniors have shouldered much of the leadership needs. It’s been a good learning experience, and Steeves can’t help but look forward to Pushard and Knight’s game next year.

“We’re obviously going to lose six great kids, but these two will be back and that’s going to be two-thirds of our scoring,” he said. “I think they’re learning from some pretty darn good examples. When it’s their turn to be the off-the-court leaders, they’re going to have that experience and they’ll have that credibility.”