In the first half of their 63-34 opening-round victory over American Falls, the top-seeded Snake River girls didn't play at their pace.

The game was too slow, and it allowed the Beavers to hang around in the first game of the 3A Fifth District tournament on Saturday at Highland.

After taking a 28-16 lead into halftime, junior Erica Christensen and her Panthers teammates decided to pick up the tempo, which resulted in the blowout victory.

"We were a little timid and not sure what to do," Christensen said, "but then we came out and started playing our game."

To open the second half, the teams traded baskets for the first few minutes, but the pace was much faster than in the first half. Eventually, Snake River ran off a 16-4 run to turn a 33-24 game midway through the third quarter into a 49-28 laugher heading into the fourth.

"In the second half, we were able to run more," said Panthers coach Steven Morton. "The minute we get to run, they feel more at home."

With 6-foot sophomore post Eden Van Orden hampered by foul trouble and her partner in the low block, 5-foot-11 junior Shelby Phillips, out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the last game of the regular season, Snake River turned to its perimeter for offense against American Falls.

Time after time Christensen drove to the basket for easy layups. When the Beavers played off of her, Christensen let it fly from deep. She finished with a game-high 25 points.

When Christensen wasn't taking it to the basket, fellow junior Saige Goff was. She finished with 15 points, thanks in large part to a 7-of-8 effort from the foul line.

Shayla Bell led the Beavers with nine points.

Snake River (15-6) will play No. 3 seed Bear Lake at 8 p.m. Tuesday for the district title and a trip to state. American Falls (4-16) will play Marsh Valley at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a loser-out game.