Siuslaw senior Sierra Potter loves to dribble a basketball. And she really loves to shoot it.

Really.

Tuesday night, Potter tossed the ball toward the net a team-high 18 times and scored 14 points to help the Vikings secure a 47-38 victory over Sweet Home in a nonleague game at Glen Butler Court.

She especially loves launching the ball from long range. Eleven of those 18 shots were from beyond the arc of 19 feet, 9 inches.

"I feel comfortable shooting the 3-pointer," she said. "I work on it a lot. I just have to set my feet, because if I don't, (the ball) will fly somewhere else."

Potter is the Vikings' No. 1 outside threat, accounting for more than half the team's 3-point attempts (116 of 208) and 3-point shots made (25 of 46). More than half of her field-goal attempts are from beyond the arc (116 of 211).

She has a big green light from her coach, Clint Tatum, to fire away.

"Sierra shoots with no conscience, and that's what I keep telling her to do," he said. "We need shooters. Potter did a spectacular job (against Sweet Home) getting those shots up, and I tell her to keep shooting."

The Vikings' 5-foot-3 Eveready Bunny is expected to be equal parts shooting guard and point guard. Potter takes pride in her ability to take care of the basketball.

"Most girls won't work at it at home, but I'll sit on the couch and just be dribbling, watching TV and stuff," she said.

Potter, who has been playing basketball some 10 years, is also ferocious on defense, leading the Vikings with 53 steals. Teammates Abby Watkins and Destinie Tatum, both juniors, are second and third with 25 and 24, respectively.

"I go to like five basketball camps every summer," Potter said. "I work hard, and I always pick up a ball, like year round."

Her days in the sport are numbered, with only five games remaining on the Siuslaw schedule, including Thursday's Far West League game with South Umpqua at Glen Butler Court.

"I'm counting down, it's like 14 days," she said. The Feb. 19 game at North Bend will be the end of her athletic career at Siuslaw High School.

Potter has been on the run every season with the Vikings. She has been a reliable source of points for Vikings cross country in the fall and track and field in the spring.

Potter has scored in the 4A state cross country championships the past three seasons, helping Siuslaw win a Class 4A state title in the sport last fall.

In track, she's been a steady performer at 800, 1,500 and 3,000 meters. She's the two-time defending champion in the 800 in the Siuslaw Icebreaker, the Vikings' season-opening event scheduled for March 17 this year.

But Potter won't be there to defend that title.

"I won't be be going out for track," she said, admitting to a bit of athletic burnout. "It's not fun for me anymore."

Meanwhile, she will be chucking the ball from the cheap seats, and pushing her teammates the final five games of this basketball season.

"I'm definitely going to be sad," Potter said, pondering the end of her playing days. "But I'm going to be happy, too."