THE STATE TOURNAMENT: The 46th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 10-12, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
PURCHASING TICKETS: 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: https://www.ticketstaronline.com/events/detail/wiaa-girls-state-basketball. All-sessions, as well as individual session tickets, are available online for $11 plus fees per session. A link is also provided on the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org or call Ticket Star at 1-800-895-0071.
STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The single elimination tournament features a five-division format with four teams qualifying in each of the five divisions.
Thursday, March 10
Division 3
#1 Waupun (25-3) vs. #4 Dominican (18-9) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Freedom (27-1) vs. #3 St. Croix Falls (24-4)*
Division 4
#1 Mineral Point (28-0) vs. #4 Westfield (27-1) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Laconia (24-4) vs. #3 Neillsville (25-2)*
Friday, March 11
Division 5
#1 Randolph (29-0) vs. #4 Highland (26-3) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Assumption (26-3) vs. #3 McDonell Catholic (25-3)*
Division 2
#1 Notre Dame (27-1) vs. #4 Menomonie (25-3) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Reedsburg (28-0) vs. #3 Pewaukee (25-3)*
Division 1
#1 Kettle Moraine (25-3) vs. #4 De Pere (24-4) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Brookfield East (25-3) vs. #3 Appleton East (24-4)*
Saturday, March 12
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*
*Note: Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.
STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR: The State Tournament will be televised live on WKOW-TV in Madison, WAOW-TV in Wausau, WXOW-TV in La Crosse, WQOW-TV in Eau Claire, WYOW-TV in Eagle River, WMOW-TV in Crandon, WMLW-TV in Milwaukee and WCWF W-14 in Green Bay and the Fox Valley. The Allen Media, Inc., will produce the coverage. The championships will also be streamed on the statewide network station websites. Also, download the Magic of March 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.
POST-GAME MEDIA CONFERENCES STREAMED: The post-game media conferences will be shown live without subscription on the WIAA.tv portal of the NFHS Network immediately following each game.
TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The first WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament was held in 1976. The tournament was held at the UW Field House from 1976-97 and also in 1999, 2000 and 2002. The championships were held at the Kohl Center in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in 2004 and 2006-09. The Resch Center in Green Bay was the home of the tournament from 2013-20. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the State Tournaments were 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 11 followed by Barneveld with six and Milwaukee Washington with five. Fall Creek, Flambeau, Kimberly, Marshall and Notre Dame have won four. There have been 100 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of having appeared in the most State Tournaments with 16. Newman Catholic is next on the list with 13, and Fall Creek, Janesville Parker and Middleton have qualified 12 times. Barneveld, Durand, Kimberly and Monroe have qualified for 11 State Tournaments with Arrowhead, Milwaukee Washington, Mukwonago and Oostburg having qualified 10 times.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Kettle Moraine receives the bracket’s top seed in its first appearance in the State Tournament since 2004. It is the seventh time the Lasers have qualified overall, all coming during a nine-year span from 1996-2004. They won their only title in 1999. The Lasers advance to the semifinals this season with a 57-28 victory over Oak Creek in the sectional final played at Waukesha South. They finished the regular season as the champions of the Classic Eight Conference. Coincidentally, Brookfield East, the #2 seed, is also making it first appearance since 2004 and their sixth overall. The Spartans’ most notable experience was finishing runner-up in 1984. They qualify this season with a 48-40 win over Arrowhead in the sectional final held at Sun Prairie. The Spartans are the co-champions of the Greater Metro Conference with Germantown this season. It’s the third overall appearance at State for third-seeded Appleton East and the program’s first since 1998. The Patriots’ first two experiences resulted in losses in the quarterfinals in both 1990 and 1998. They finished runner-up in the Fox Valley Association this season. The Patriots defeated Neenah 57-36 in the sectional final hosted at Oshkosh North to advance to the State semifinals. De Pere has been issued the fourth seed in the bracket. The Redbirds are making their ninth State appearance and their first since finishing runner-up in 2017. They made four appearances in five years from 2008-12, which produced a championship in 2012 and a runner-up finish in 2010. They also captured the title in 2005 and the Class A championship in 1983 to give them a total of three championships. Their return to the tourney comes by virtue of a 72-66 victory over former defending champion Germantown in the Sheboygan South Sectional final. The Redbirds were runners-up behind Division 2 qualifier Notre Dame in the Fox River Classic Conference this season.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Defending champion Notre Dame returns to the tournament for the ninth time. The Tritons have four State titles. In addition to last season, they won the gold trophy in the program’s first-ever appearance at State in 2001 and won back-to-back titles in 2013-14. They also added a runner-up finish in 2005. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Tritons were the Division 1 runners-up in 1994 as a former member of WISAA. This season, they are the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference and have advanced to the State semifinals following a 53-44 win over Beaver Dam in the sectional final held at West Bend West. Last year’s runner-up Reedsburg is seeded #2 and are the only undefeated team in the bracket. The Beavers qualify for the State Tournament for the second year in a row and for the third time in program history. Their first appearance came in 2012 when they fell in the semifinals. They attempt to defend their title this season following a 63-45 win over Union Grove in the Oregon Sectional. Reedsburg placed atop the standings in the West Division of the Badger Conference this season. Third-seeded Pewaukee advances to State for the second time, but it will be the first time the Pirates will actually experience the tournament after qualifying in 2020 prior to the cancellation of games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They defeated Pius XI Catholic 72-54 in the West Allis Central Sectional final. The Pirates finished in a tie for first place with Pius XI Catholic in the West Division of the Woodland Conference standings. Menomonie, the fourth seed, will be making its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. They earned their berth with a 56-44 victory over Lakeland in the Hayward Sectional final. During the regular season, the Mustangs were the champions in the Big Rivers Conference.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Waupun makes its first appearance at State since its only other experience in the tournament in 1996. The Warriors fell in the Division 2 semifinals that season. Their return to the final field of four comes by virtue of a 63-37 downing of Edgewood in the Wautoma sectional final. They are the 2021-22 champions of the East Central Conference. Second-seeded Freedom is making its third appearance overall and its first since 2019, which resulted in a defeat in the semifinals. In their first experience in the State Tournament, the Irish finished runner-up in Division 2 in 2008. Freedom is the champion of the North Eastern Conference this season, and they earned their berth in the tournament field by rolling past Brillion 83-46 in the Little Chute Sectional final. St. Croix Falls will be making its first State Tournament appearance in program history as the third seed. The Saints played their way to a berth in the final four with a 65-45 win over Altoona in the Somerset Sectional final. They finished second in the Heart O’North standings this season. Fourth-seeded Dominican returns to State for the second time. The first came in 2011, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Knights won a Division 2 championship in 2000. This season, they placed fourth in the Metro Classic Conference and advanced through the Whitewater Sectional with a 48-36 win over Martin Luther in the final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Last year’s runner-up Mineral Point was issued the top seed as the only undefeated team in the bracket . The Pointers advance to State for the third time overall. Their first appearance came in 2016, which produced a championship. This season, they cruised to a 63-43 win over New Glarus in the sectional final held at DeForest, and they are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League. Laconia is the second seed in the bracket. The only other experience the Spartans have had at State was a runner-up finish in 2019. They make a return visit to the Resch Center by edging Racine Lutheran 47-45 in overtime in the Brown Deer Sectional final. The Spartans captured the Flyway Conference championship this season. Third-seeded Neillsville will make its sixth appearance and its first since 2014. The Warriors made three consecutive State appearances from 2012-14 and back-to-back experiences in 2006 and 2007. They won the Division 4 championship in 2012 and finished runner-up in Division 3 in 2014. They are the champions in the Eastern Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season. The path for their return to the Resch Center came through the River Falls Sectional, which culminated with a 48-42 win over Phillips. Fourth-seeded Westfield advanced to State for the first time in school history last season, which resulted in a loss in the Division 3 semifinals. The Pioneers move down a division to qualify this year with a 41-38 victory over Bonduel in the Waupaca Sectional final. They were crowned champions of the South Central Conference this season.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Undefeated Randolph receives the top seed in the bracket. Their only other experience in the State Tournament came in 2001 when the Lady Rockets lost in the semifinals. They are the champions in the West Division of the Trailways Conference this season. Their return to State after more than two decades comes by virtue of a 43-31 triumph over Albany in the McFarland Sectional final. Defending champion Assumption attempts to win its second consecutive championship. The #2-seeded Royals make their seventh appearance at State overall. Four consecutive appearances from 2013-16 resulted in State championships in 2013 and 2016 with runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. This season, they placed first in the South Division of the Marawood Conference. Their quest for consecutive championships continues following a 40-26 win over Wabeno/Laona in the sectional final played at D.C. Everest. Third-seeded McDonell Catholic makes its second consecutive State Tournament appearance after their first experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals last year. The Macks advance to the State semifinals this season with a 37-33 victory over Northwood in the sectional final held at Amery. They finished the regular season as runners-up in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Macks most notable finish as a member of WISAA was a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 2000. Highland is the #4 seed in the bracket. The Cardinals will experience the State Tournament for the first time. They began celebrating their first-ever trip to the tournament after the buzzer sounded in their 54-49 win over Bangor in the Richland Center Sectional final. The Cardinals were co-champions with Belmont in the West Division of the Six Rivers Conference during the regular season.
THREE-POINT CHALLENGE RETURNS: The 3-Point Challenge resumes after being canceled in 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic accommodations. The event will be held prior to Saturday’s championship games beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Resch Center. A ticket for the Division 3, 4 and 5 championship games session is required for admittance into the event. The top two players per division were selected for the contest based on the best 3-point field goal percentage with a minimum of 75 attempts during the regular season. The contestants representing Division 1 are Kate Huml of Janesville Craig and Allie Ziebell of Neenah. Representing Division 2 are Julianna Ouimette of Lakeland and Emily Jaenke of Fox Valley Lutheran. The Division 3 participants are Lily Krahn of Prairie du Chien and Isabel Matzek of Prescott. Division 4 will be represented by Jacy Weisbrod of Aquinas and Lilly Griffith of St. Mary Catholic, and the Division 5 contestants Hailee Bauer of Lourdes Academy and Paige Hanner of Eleva-Strum. Visit the information on the WIAA website for more details about the 3-Point Challenge.
MEDIA PARKING IN LAMBEAU LOTS: An abundance of media parking is available for media in the Lambeau Field parking lots. Cost for parking in the lots is $7 for all day with in-and-out privileges.
NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to get results will be to access the WIAA website wiaawi.org and choose the Tournament Information link on the home page or the girls basketball home page.
ORDER STATE TOURNAMENT APPAREL: WIAA licensed apparel is available online for the 2022 State Girls Basketball Tournament. To browse and purchase branded merchandise, visit the WIAA Girls Basketball Store at: https://wiaagsbt22.itemorder.com/shop/sale/. The store closes Sunday, March 20 before midnight. Online purchases will be shipped after the online store closes. State Tournament apparel will also be available at the Resch Center.
FOLLOW STATE TOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Girls Basketball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaagb, and also like us on Facebook.
RUSH TO THE RESCH: One school qualifying for the State Girls Basketball Tournament in each of the five divisions will receive $2000 from the Greater Green Bay Community by selling the most pre-sale tickets in their respective division.
TITLE IX 50TH ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION: The WIAA launched a year-long celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation at the first-ever State Girls Individual Wrestling Tournament in January. A complimentary commemorative program will be available at all State Tournaments throughout the year. Participants in all girls’ State Tournaments this year will receive a commemorative bag tag, and recognition of the campaign will be promoted on tournament signage, t-shirt giveaways, stories and facts on the WIAA website and social media platforms.
BELLIN ATHLETIC TRAINING: Bellin Health Sports Medicine is the exclusive provider of licensed athletic training services for the State Girls Basketball Tournament.
COVID PROVISIONS: Fully vaccinated individuals should consider wearing a mask in areas of high likelihood of transmission. In addition, masks are strongly encouraged for individuals not fully vaccinated.