WIAA celebrates 50 years of high school girls basketball tournament
Courtesy of WIAA Communications Office
GREEN BAY - The 50th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place this Thursday-Saturday, March 12-14, at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Ticket price for the tourney is $11 per session when purchased at the Resch Center. Tickets for the tournament will be available for purchase online at the Ticket Star website or by calling Ticket Star at 1-800-895-0071. Tickets can also be obtained through a link on the WIAA website at: https://ticketstar.evenue.net/events/WIAA1.
The single elimination tournament features a five-division format with four teams qualifying in each of the five divisions. Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.
Thursday, March 12
Division 3
#1 Oostburg (28-0) vs. Mosinee (24-4) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Kettle Moraine Lutheran (27-1) vs. #3 Wisconsin Dells (28-0)
Division 4
#1 Neillsville (27-1) vs. #4 Lomira (22-6) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 St. Mary Catholic Central (25-3) vs. #3 Albany/Monticello (26-2)
Friday, March 13
Division 5
#1 Eleva-Strum (29-0) vs. #4 Fall River (17-11) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Stevens Point Pacelli (23-4) vs. #3 Barneveld (22-7)
Division 2
#1 Rice Lake (25-3) vs. #4 Beaver Dam (22-6) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Whitefish Bay (24-4) vs. #3 Elkhorn (24-4)
Division 1
#1 Wauwatosa East (28-0) vs. #4 Green Bay Notre Dame (24-4) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Hartland Arrowhead (26-2) vs. #3 Pewaukee (24-4)*
Saturday, March 14
3-Point Challenge - 9:30 a.m.
Division 5 Championship Game - 11:05 a.m.
Division 4 Championship Game
Division 3 Championship Game
Division 2 Championship Game - 6:35 p.m.
Division 1 Championship Game
The 50th WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament will be televised live on WKOW Madison, WAOW Wausau, WXOW La Crosse, WQOW Eau Claire, WCWF in Green Bay/Fox Valley and WVTV in Milwaukee. The finals will also be streamed live on the State Television Network's websites and on Fox11online.com. Also, download the WIAA Sports Live app for live streaming video, scores, highlights and more about the WIAA State Basketball Tournaments. Live coverage of the tournaments on iOS or Android phones and tablets are also available on the app.
The celebration of the 50 years of the State Girls Basketball Tournament will continue through the tournament in Green Bay. The programs and activities planned include the "Future Champions Team Experience" with group promotions and fan engagement for youth teams attending the State Tournament. Other celebration activities feature team-exclusive Tournament Series shooting shirts available for all schools; a social media campaign highlighting the history of the tournament; an in-game, commemorative t-shirt toss; a recognition of prominent athletes, coaches and officials of past tournaments; and giveaways sponsored by Discover Green Bay. Discover Green Bay has a public exhibit honoring the 50-year history of the WIAA Girls Basketball State Tournament at the Visitor Center at 1945 Argonne St. The exhibit includes curated historical stories, visual displays, and artifacts, including the 2026 Division 1 championship trophy, for visitors to view.
The very first WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament was held in 1976. The tournament was held at the University of Wisconsin Field House in Madison from 1976-97 and also in 1999, 2000 and 2002. The championships were held at the Kohl Center in Madison in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison in 2004 and 2006-09. The Resch Center in Green Bay has been the home of the tournament since 2013, except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when the State Tournament was held at two separate locations, the La Crosse Center and the Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh.
The tournament featured a three-class format until 1991, when a four-division format was adopted. In 2011, a fifth division was added. Cuba City has won the most State titles over the years with 12, followed by Barneveld and Green Bay Notre Dame with six, and then Kimberly and Milwaukee Washington with five. There have been 106 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of having appeared in the most State Tournaments with 18. Wausau Newman and now Barneveld and Hartland Arrowhead are next on the list with 13; and Durand-Arkansaw, Fall Creek, Janesville Parker, Kimberly, Middleton and now Green Bay Notre Dame and Oostburg have qualified 12 times. Then comes Monroe, having qualified for 11 State Tournaments.
