BOISE - Aberdeen made quick work of Grangeville during the opening round of the 2A state tournament on Thursday at Capital High in Boise, beating the Bulldogs 62-49.

The victory gives the Tigers their much-desired chance for vengeance today when they square off against 2A Fifth District rival West Side in a semifinal contest at 6:15 p.m. at Capital. West Side beat Aberdeen to win the district championship and force the Tigers to take the long route to state.

"It's a big rivalry," said Aberdeen junior Wade Wahlen, who led Aberdeen with 11 points. "Our motivation was to get back to West Side."

Aberdeen got off to a slow start during its first quarter against Grangeville but quickly picked it up and took a 16-11 lead into the second quarter. The Tigers added 20 points during the second and took a 36-22 lead into intermission.

Aberdeen coach Quinn Aldous said it can be difficult keeping players motivated with such a large lead halfway through the game.

"We just told them the third quarter has been our best all season," Aldous said. "We told them don't just go out there and expect to win. The first five minutes is key."

The Tigers heard their coach's words and quickly ran the lead up to 20 points in the third quarter. By the end of the third, most of the Tigers on the floor were bench players.

With a 51-30 lead going into the fourth, no Tigers starter was on the floor during the last eight minutes.

"It's good to be able to get everyone rested up," said Aberdeen guard Aaron Schritter.

Schritter echoed Wahlen's desire to see West Side today.

"We wanted them," he said. "We want some revenge."

Aldous said it's always a tough matchup against West Side.

"They play such great defense," he said. "We need to take care of the ball and try not to let West Side control the game."