Watching the Selma CHAT Academy Bulldogs do warm-ups laps before a mid-week practice it’s easy to tell pick out the team’s leader.

Eighth-grade post Gabrielle Goudy leads the pack by several feet, she jogs confidently along.

With coach Ivery Williams out of the gym for a minute, the rest of the team jogs, shuffles and drags behind her.

As Goudy starts her third lap, someone from the back of the pack suggests they fudge a little bit.

“That’s two,” Goudy says as she keeps moving.

After a grumble of protest she says it again, more emphatically.

“That’s two,” she says again and ends the discussion.

With that the girls finish their laps as Williams returns and starts practice.

It’s that kind of dedication that has helped the Lady Bulldogs turn things around after an 0-3 start this season.

Now, Selma is 8-6 on the year and looking good heading towards the postseason tournament at Tipton.

“The last three years we’ve taken the tournament in Tipton,” Williams said. “I feel like we’re in position to win it again this year.”

If the Lady Bulldogs are able to win, the credit should go to their strong eighth-grade class.

Led by the 6-foot Goudy, the Lady Bulldogs have eight players that will be moving up to Selma High next season.

“I lost all my starters last year, too,” Williams said.

Williams added that he thinks three of his girls will be able to play for Selma next year and several more could make the varsity team.

As for the rest of this year, the Bulldogs have had several players stand out.

Goudy averages nine points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for the season.

Whitley Spears is good for seven points and six assists per game.

Raven Peoples scores five points a game and Erica Culpepper

scores five points and grabs nine rebounds a game. WiIlliams added that Jamaeria Johnson and Courtney McGee are the team’s outside shooters and Kamesha Strong is a seventh grade defensive stopper.

The Bulldogs’ game starts on the inside with Goudy.

“She is the leader.

She is the co-captain (with Andrea Fails),” Williams said. “Gabrielle is a force under the basket.

She runs the floor really well.”

Goudy had her coming out party against Uniontown in overtime when she had 21 rebound.

She also had 12 points and 19 rebounds earlier in the season against Tipton.

As long as the Bulldogs continue to improve, Williams will be satisfied.

“I’m not really pleased with the overall wins and losses but I’m pleased with their progress, considering I lost all of my starters from last year’s team,” Williams said. “I feel like we could be much better, but we’ve come a long way.

It was pretty shabby and weak at the beginning of the year.

We’ve done much better since then.”