The members of the 13-and-under Connecticut Starters Amateur Athletic Union girls' basketball team have reached this point before.

       The Starters won the last four state championships in their age group, starting from the U-10 category. This is the team's third straight trip to the AAU national tournament, which this year will be held July 14-21 at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

       "Our team as a whole has great chemistry," Hamden resident Tiffany DeRosa said. "We have a lot of talented players. When we play to our ability, we are really good."

       Last year the Starters entered the national tournament with a 34-1 record and placed 17th. This year, the squad is 35-1, including a 33-game winning streak, and is seeded 17th among 86 teams.

       "I think we have a good chance to do well," Wallingford resident Claire Sullivan said. "We'll have to let the chips fall where they may."

       Said coach Joe Ticotsky: " We've been behind 10 times at halftime during the streak. Basically, we have the same team from last year. they love the game of basketball and their knowledge of the game surpasses their age."

       Sullivan, the starting point guard, and DeRosa, a guard-forward, are the team's only area players. Sullivan, who leads the team in assists, will attend Choate of Wallinford in the fall. DeRosa, the top reserve, will go to Hamden High.

       Guards Brianne Edwards (Bloomfield) and Mia RothWeiler (Longmeadow, Mass.) join forward kelley Haines (Newtown) and center Laura Menty (Wilbraham, Mass.) in the starting lineup. Guard Jen Dabrowski (Plainville) is recovering from two broken fingers, but still may play in the tournament

       The Starters went 5-0 in a junior national tournament June 24-26 in West Long Branch, N.J. Their final preparation for the national tournament will be Friday through Sunday at the Blue Chip USA Invitational in Philadelphia.

       "It's still a different ballgame," Ticotsky said of the nationals. "You don'tget an advantage because you've won 33 straight games. The advantage you get is what it took to win 33 straight. The best part about nationals is the challenge of going against the best players in the nation."

       The team opens play July 14 against the 13th-seeded Tennessee Raiders. The top two teams advance out of each pool, then play a double-elimination format from that point.

       "No one cares that you're 35-1 and we understand that," Sullivan said. "The competition at the tournament is unbelievable."

       Two other Connecticut Starters teams will also compete in national tournaments this month.

       The 16-under team will play in Chattanooga, Tenn., which runs Friday through July 15. Two of this year's Register All-Area players, Maura Hamel of Sheehan of Wallinford and Jenn Piazza of crosstown rival Lyman Hall, will be competing.

       The 14-under team, which includes North Branford's Amy Angiollo and Seymour's Mallory Stevens, plays July 21-29 in Monroe, La.