The Selma Times-Journal

Depending on your perspective, Mary Taylor will either be the hardest or the easiest person to recognize on the C.H.A.T. girls&8217; basketball team.

She is by far the smallest person on the team &8212; a fact that both makes her stick out and allows her to become almost invisible.

But then she steps on the court, and no one overlooks her. She&8217;s just one of the reasons the Lady Bulldogs are poised to have one of their best seasons ever.

Including Taylor, there are five players that were cut before the start of the 2006-07 season. This year, all five started at least one game and are a big part of the reason the Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 17-1 record and a 16-game winning streak.

The team will go to the East Alabama Invitational Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history.

They begin play against Auburn at 4 p.m. Friday in Opelika, and the championship game will be Monday.

The team has been invited to the tournament before, but this year is the first time it had the opportunity to go.

The girls earned every bit of their invitation after winning just five games last season.

It is their hope that a fast-paced offense and aggressive pressing defense will pose problems for teams they have never seen before.

Williams credits the team&8217;s turnaround to the help of his assistant coach Fred Scott as well as the players&8217; dedication.

This was probably the hottest summers I&8217;ve ever experienced, and they were in the gym every day&8221;