Clint Tatum loves to build things, and he's all in with his current project, the Siuslaw High School girls basketball team.

"We're trying to build some confidence, and we're trying to build a team that has the foot speed to press the entire game," said Tatum, the first-year head coach of the Vikings.

"You can't win high school basketball games unless you can press the other team. The good teams all press, and they press for 32 minutes."

The Vikings played one of the good teams Friday, dropping a 52-14 decision to the visiting North Bend Bulldogs at Butler Court.

The loss left Siuslaw 4-12 overall and 1-4 in Far West League play.

North Bend is 2-3 in league and 10-6 overall.

"We're trying to build a team that can keep up with those girls," said Tatum. "We're just short of girls right now."

It doesn't help that the reconstructing Vikings are in a strong league, with four of its six teams sporting double-digit wins and state playoff resumes.

"We're just in a juggernaut of a conference right now," Tatum said. "I put this conference at the top of the heap. There's not a better conference out there this year."

Brookings-Harbor (14-4 overall) finished the first half of league play 5-0 with a 69-39 victory over South Umpqua on Friday. Marshfield (13-6, 4-1) won the battle for second place with a 38-30 win against Douglas (11-6, 3-2).

The Lady Vikings may lack players, but they haven't lacked for effort.

"I have not questioned their effort one time this year," Tatum said. "They've put out effort every time they've gone out."

One of his building blocks this season has been his daughter, junior Destinie Tatum, who leads Siuslaw in scoring and rebounding.

Tatum the father believes the Vikings are missing at least five good athletes who decided not to play basketball this season.

Tatum the daughter begs to differ.

"We're not missing them at all," she said. "If they don't want to be here, they don't have to be. We can work it out, figure it out ourselves."

Friday, Destinie dropped in a team-high six points while going head-to-head with the Bulldogs' top defender, exchange student Vanessa Gajdosova.

"I got hit in the head, and got the breath knocked out of me," said Destinie, who was none too thrilled with the physical style of the foreign player.

"I told (Destinie) to be flattered that she got a professional basketball player assigned to her," said Destinie's dad, only half jokingly.

But it's all part of the building process, the coach concedes. Both Tatums, plus mom, Siuslaw principal Kerri Tatum, applaud the effort of the team, if not the results.

"Last year there were a lot of quitters on the team,'" said Destinie. "This year everyone plays to the end. They put out a good effort all the time."

NOTES: Siuslaw athletic director Jeremy Graybill has been putting the finishing touches on his proposed Triple Threat Award, which goes to career three-sport athletes who maintain a 3.0 grade point average or better. ... Destinie Tatum, a 4.0 student, may add that award to her trophy case next year. Besides basketball, she has lettered in cross country and track, and is a top threat to win the 4A state 400-meter run this spring. ... Teammate and fellow junior Claire Waggoner also excels in three sports, including volleyball and softball ... The Vikings have two home games next week, including a nonleague match with Sweet Home at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday. Siuslaw hosts South Umpqua at 6 p.m. Thursday to tip off the second half of the Far West League season.