THE STATE TOURNAMENT:  The 42nd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 9-11, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. 

PURCHASING TICKETS:  Ticket price for the tourney is $10 per session when purchased at the Resch Center. Tickets for the tournament will also be available for purchase online at the Ticket Star website: www.ticketstaronline.com.  All-session, as well as individual session tickets are available for purchase online for $12 per session. A link is also provided on the WIAA website:  www.wiaawi.org. 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. 

Bloomer (22-4) vs. Martin Luther (25-1) - 1:35 p.m.

Wrightstown (23-3) vs. Edgewood (23-3)*

Durand (23-3) vs. Howards Grove (25-1) - 6:35 p.m.

Shiocton (18-8) vs. Aquinas (26-0)*

Clayton (27-0) vs. Milwaukee Academy of Science (22-4) - 9:05 a.m.

Loyal (23-4) vs. Bangor (24-3)*

Hortonville (20-5) vs. Cudahy (19-7) - 1:35 p.m.

Beaver Dam (26-0) vs. Monroe (21-3)* 

Appleton North (26-0) vs. Milwaukee King (25-0) - 6:35 p.m.

De Pere (24-2) vs. Middleton (23-3)*

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*

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, KBJR-MY9 in Duluth/Superior and WCWF W-14 in Green Bay and the Fox Valley. The Wisconsin Division of Quincy 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.

3-POINT CHALLENGE STREAMED LIVE:  The 3-Point Challenge will be streamed live on the NFHS Network Saturday at 9:30 a.m. To watch the competition, register and subscribe to the NFHS Network. To purchase a subscription to the live programming for only $9.95 per month, log-on to www.wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the subscription image in the middle of the page. Archived streams of the events will be available on demand on the NFHS Network 72 hours after the tournament without requirement of a subscription. 

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 Championship 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 in the Kohl Center in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in 2004 and 2006-09. The current site of the tournament, the Resch Center in Green Bay, became the home of the tournament in 2013. 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 and Kimberly have won four. There have been 88 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of having qualified for the most State Tournaments with 16. Janesville Parker has participated 12 times, and Barneveld, Durand, Fall Creek have qualified for 11 State Tournaments with Kimberly, Middleton, Milwaukee Washington, Newman Catholic and Oostburg having qualified 10 times.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Middleton has qualified for the State Tournament for the 10th time. It is the Cardinals’ second appearance in the past three seasons. They made an impressive run of five State Tournaments from 2008-12. The Cardinals have finished as State runner-up twice, once in 1993 and again in 2003. They advance to the State semifinals after rolling past Madison East 65-38 in the Janesville Craig Sectional final. The Cardinals finished in a first-place tie with Sun Prairie for the Big Eight Conference championship this season. De Pere is making its eighth State appearance and its first since 2012. The Redbirds 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. Their return to the tourney comes by virtue of a 67-59 victory over Germantown in the Whitefish Bay Sectional final. They finished first in the Fox River Classic Conference this season. Appleton North returns to State for the second year in a row and for the fourth time overall. The Lightning’s furthest advance in the tournament has been to the semifinals in 1999 and again last year. They trounced Chippewa Falls in the final of the D.C. Everest Sectional final, 79-52, to earn their return to the Resch Center. They finished first in the Fox Valley Association and are undefeated this season. Milwaukee King will play in the State Tournament for the fifth time and for the first time since 2012 when the Generals’ finished runner-up for the second time. They also finished second in 2009. They beat Oak Creek 63-52 in the final of the West Allis Central Sectional to advance to the State semifinal. They are the undefeated champions of the Milwaukee City Conference this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Monroe is making its ninth appearance at State and its first since 2010. The Cheesemakers have won the State championship three times, capturing the title in 1989, 2006 and 2008. In addition, they placed runner-up in 1988 and 2000. Monroe was  the tri-champion in the South Division of the Badger Conference this season with Stoughton and Division 3 qualifier Edgewood. The Cheesemakers breezed past Milton 72-49 in the final of the Middleton Sectional to continue their quest for a State title. Beaver Dam joins the State Tournament field for the first time since 2010 and for the third time overall. The Golden Beavers’ initial State appearance came back in 1991 when they finished runner-up in Division 1. The return to the State Tournament comes by virtue of a 66-49 victory over Seymour in the Neenah Sectional final. The Golden Beavers enter the semifinals this week undefeated and are the champions of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference this season.  Hortonville is in the State Tournament field for the second time. The first came 30 years ago in 1987, which resulted in an overtime loss in the Class B semifinals. The Polar Bears are the representatives from the Eau Claire North Sectional having discarded Menomonie 74-44 in the final. They finished runner-up in the Fox Valley Association this season behind Division 1 qualifier Appleton North. This is the first time Cudahy has advanced to the State Tournament in the program’s history. The Packers’ earned their first trip to State following a 43-34 victory over Wauwatosa East in the Brown Deer Sectional final. They finished atop the standings in the Woodland Conference this winter. 

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:   Bloomer is back at State for the first time since 2000 and for the fourth time in the program’s history. In each of the three previous experiences, the Blackhawks came away with runner-up finishes, those coming in Class B in 1990, and in Division 3 in both 1992 and 2000. They qualify this season by navigating through the Menomonie Sectional, which culminated with a 72-57 win over Somerset in the final. The Blackhawks placed runner-up to Hayward in the Heart O’North Conference during the regular season. Wrightstown advances to the State Tournament for the third time and for the first time since 2004. The Tigers’ first-ever appearance produced a runner-up finish in Class C in 1989. They advance to State this season as champions of the Green Bay Preble Sectional following a 60-53 win over Amherst in the final. The Tigers are the champions in the North Eastern Conference this year. Edgewood is making its second appearance in the State Tournament after experiencing it for the first time last season. The Crusaders were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals with a one-point loss to the eventual champion. Their return to the State semifinals comes following a convincing 57-31 victory over Platteville in the Sun Prairie Sectional final. They finished in a three-way tie for first in the South Division of the Badger Conference this year with Stoughton and Division 2 qualifier Monroe. The Crusaders won a Class A title in 1979 as a former member of WISAA. It’s the first time Martin Luther advances to the State Tournament. The Spartans’ path through the Waukesha South Sectional was capped by a 63-59 triumph over Waupun in the final. They  are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference in 2017.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Durand makes its 11th appearance at State and its first since 2009 when the Panthers finished runner-up. They have won two State championships, claiming back-to-back Class B titles in 1986-87. They also finished runner-up in 1996. The co-champions of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference defeated Cameron 69-67 in the final of the Chippewa Falls Sectional to punch their ticket to Green Bay. Howards Grove will experience State for the second time. The Tigers’ only other appearance came in 2012, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They edged Kenosha St. Joseph 52-50 in the Brown Deer Sectional final to gain a berth in the tournament field. The Tigers finished in the top spot in the Big East Conference standings this year. Two programs in the Division 4 bracket are first-time State Tournament qualifiers. Aquinas is undefeated this season and are the champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference. The Blugolds have advanced through the Baraboo Sectional with a 64-40 win over Darlington in the final. Prior to its membership in the WIAA, Aquinas won back-to-back WISAA Division 2 championships in 1996-97 and finished runner-up in Class A in 1985 and 1989. Shiocton advances to the semifinals through the Waupaca Sectional following a 61-36 victory over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the final. The Chiefs completed the 2017 regular season in a third-place tie in the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD:  Clayton will make its second straight State Tournament appearance and its third overall. The Bears’ quest for a State title ended in the semifinals in each of their previous two encounters, the first coming in Division 4 in 1995. They qualify this season after routing Mercer 67-31 in the Spooner Sectional final. The Bears are undefeated and champions in the Central Division of the Lakeland Conference. Bangor returns to the State Tournament for the second time. The first and only other appearance produced a Division 4 championship in 1997. This season, the Cardinals finished first in the Scenic Bluffs Conference standings. They completed their trek through the Richland Center Sectional with a 63-49 win over Shullsburg. Milwaukee Academy of Science qualifies for the State Tournament for the first time in the program’s history. It’s also the first time the Novas have qualified for State in any team sport in the school’s history. The celebration began after they defeated Fall River 76-74 in the Watertown Sectional final. The Novas plays a schedule independent of a conference affiliation. Loyal shares the distinction of this being its first State Girls Basketball Tournament appearance. The journey to the Resch Center came through the Waupaca Sectional, culminating with a 68-49 victory over Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran in the final. The Greyhounds tied Neillsville for the championship in the Eastern Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season.

THREE-POINT CHALLENGE: The WIAA will conduct the third annual 3-Point Challenge prior to Saturday’s championship games. The event will begin 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 freshman Natalie McNeal of Germantown and junior Justice Filip from Madison East. Representing Division 2 are junior Brooklyn Paulson of Holmen and junior Brehna Evans of West De Pere. The Division 3 participants are senior Tori Martell of Somerset and sophomore Savannah Walsdorf of Kiel. Division 4 will be represented by sophomore Arianna Mason of Stanley-Boyd and senior Caitlyn Tipton of Laconia, and the Division 5 contestants are senior McKenzie Couey of Riverdale and senior Hattie Rennert of Shullsburg. Visit the information on the WIAA website for more details on the 3-Point Challenge. 

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.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the WIAA website www.wiaawi.org and choose the Tournament Information link on the home page or the girls basketball home page. 

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. Also like us on Facebook,  follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.

BELLIN ATHLETIC TRAINING:  Bellin Health Sports Medicine is the exclusive provider of licensed athletic training services for the State Girls Basketball Tournament.