A team that stays together plays together - and adding a player here or there doesn't hurt, either.

The Butler Cubs 15-and-under girls AAU basketball team has had a very successful spring and summer, winning four of its five tournaments and rolling to a 27-2 record.

"The core has been together since the fifth or sixth grade," said coach Jerry Day. "Mostly, they're Butler girls, then we pick up one or two girls a year."

This year's squad first played AAU ball as members of the 13-and-under team when they were seventh graders.

"We had them before that, but it was mostly just for drills," Day added.

That team was a far cry from the one on the floor this summer.

"We took our lumps and got beat up," said Day.

That 13-and-under team went 10-30, then last year - with Day serving in active duty in Iraq - assistant coach Paul Delaney guided the team just over .500.

"He'd call up and tell me this team is getting better and better," said Day.

"This year, we had a breakout season. Each year, we've gotten better," he added.

Team members this year include Rachel Barry, Jenna Bodkin, Lyndsy Day, Karissa King, Eric Miller and Katherine Sylvia of Butler, Allyson Kepple of Karns City, Danielle Dado of Shenango, Brittany Foust of Franklin and Alyssa Young of Ford City.

"We've gotten contributions from the whole team," said Barry, who along with Day, King, Foust and Young make up the regular starting five.

"At first the new players are a little shy but this team is good at making others feel welcome," Barry added.

"Coach Day came to a couple of my (high school) games and asked if I wanted to play," said Kepple. "This has been building my confidence and makes me play harder."

The team started off on the right foot by winning the IUP Tournament April 9-10 and followed up with the Edinboro Tournament title April 16-17.

On May 7-8, the Cubs lost in the championship game to host Columbiana (Oh.).

"We ended up beating the West Virginia Thunder, the nationally-ranked No. 7 team from the year before, but lost to Columbiana," said Day.

The Cubs rebounded by capturing the Western PA Ballers Spring Jam at Slippery Rock University, defeating Premier Hoops in the championship game 49-39.

"We beat a very good Huskies team in the semifinals," said Day. "We needed a last-second three-pointer by Karissa King to win it."

Day admits the Huskies used to beat the Cubs by 30 or 40 points a couple of seasons ago.

"They're an elite team but we finally got them," Day noted.

The Cubs then won the Hot Shotz Hoop Fest in Monroeville May 27-28, capped by a 43-32 victory over the Bruins.

"They were the No. 4 team in the nation and this was the first time we've beaten them," said Day. "We lost to them the first time, but beat them in the championship game."

The recipe for the Cubs' success? Their quickness.

"It's just the girls we have," said Day. "The biggest girl we have is 5-8½. We push the ball up and we press.

"Lyndsy's fast, Rachel's fast, Allyson's fast. We have fast guards and we press the whole game. It would be nice to have a 5-feet-11 girl, but they're hard to find," Day added.

"We're quick and have a lot of speed, so we push it and get down the floor," said Barry.

The team plans to go to a tournament in Fredonia, N.Y., this weekend, but Day figures that will wrap up the tournament schedule.

"We're not looking to go to nationals. Mostly, these girls just like to play basketball," he said.

"There are no big expenses like some of these other teams that pay thousands and thousands. We all pitch in 30 or 40 bucks and go.

"It's low key, but we're very competitive. They love this sport."