(WIAA) – The WIAA girls state basketball tournament begins Thursday at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
Here’s a look at this year’s field.
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 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 11, followed by Barneveld and Notre Dame with six, and then 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, including this season. Newman Catholic is next on the list with 13; and now Arrowhead, Barneveld, Durand, Fall Creek, Janesville Parker, Kimberly and Middleton have qualified 12 times. Monroe, Notre Dame and now Oostburg have qualified for 11 State Tournaments.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Top-seeded Kimberly qualifies for the State Tournament for the 12th time and for the first time since 2019. The Papermakers made five appearances in the 1980s and four in the 1990s. They have won four State titles. Kimberly won the Class A championship in 1987 and the Class B title in 1989. They added Division 2 titles in 1996 and 1998. They also finished runner-up in Class A in 1982 and in Division 2 in 1997. They are the champions of the Fox Valley Association this season, and they are the representatives from the Hartford Sectional with a 48-47 overtime win over Pewaukee, which was the Division 2 champion last season, in the final.
Defending champion Arrowhead is making its second straight appearance at State and the Warhawks’ 12th overall. They have claimed two other championships in their 11 previous appearances, one in 1988 and the other in 1991. They finished tied for first in the Classic 8 Conference standings this season with Muskego, the #3 seed in the bracket. The Warhawks are the representatives out of the Oregon Sectional following their 72-69 win over Waunakee in the final.
Muskego, the #3 seed, is making school history with its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Warriors tied Arrowhead for the championship of the Classic Eight Conference this season, and they advance to the State semifinals following their 45-33 win over Kenosha Bradford in the Kenosha Tremper Sectional final.
It’s the fourth overall appearance at State for fourth-seeded Appleton East and the program’s first since 2022 when the Patriots finished runner-up. The Patriots’ first two experiences resulted in losses in the quarterfinals in both 1990 and 1998. They placed fourth in the Fox Valley Association during the regular season this year. The Patriots earned their road back to State by edging Eau Claire Memorial 68-65 in double overtime in the sectional final hosted at Marshfield.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Edgewood moves up to the division this season after winning the Division 3 championship last year. The Crusaders are making their fourth appearance overall. They also had back-to-back experiences in 2016-2017, winning the Division 2 championship in 2017. Their continued quest for another gold trophy comes following a convincing 67-42 victory over West Salem in the Baraboo Sectional final. The Crusaders were crowned champions in the Small Division of the Badger Conference this year. Prior to joining the WIAA in the fall of 2000, the Crusaders won a Class A title in 1979 as a former member of WISAA.
Second-seeded Wauwatosa East is back in the tournament for the fourth time and for the second year in a row. The Red Raiders fell in the semifinals last year. Their most notable experience at State was the Class A championship they won in 1981. This season, they tied with Brookfield East for the championship in the Greater Metro Conference. They earned their way back to the Resch Center through the Whitefish Bay Sectional with a 50-39 win over Union Grove in the final.
West De Pere was issued the third seed. The Phantoms are making their second appearance at State. Their only other experience came 47 years ago in 1978 when they advanced to the Division 1 semifinal before being ousted from title contention. The Phantoms are the champions of the Bay Conference this season and the Fond du Lac Sectional following their 66-55 victory over Waukesha West in the final.
Rice Lake began to celebrate qualifying for the first time when the final buzzer sounded in their 54-46 win over Shawano in the Mosinee Sectional final. They placed third in the Big Rivers Conference this winter.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Elk Mound will make its second appearance in the State Tournament and the first since 1988 when the Mounders fell in the Class C semifinals. This year, they defeated Baldwin-Woodville 54-48 to advance out of the Eau Claire North Sectional. The Mounders were the champions of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season.
Second-seeded Oostburg returns to State for the 11th time overall and for the first time since 2012. That signaled an end to a run of six consecutive appearances from 2007-12. The Lady Dutch won the Class C championship in 1990 and Division 3 State championships in 1994 and 2008. Oostburg also advanced to the final in 2010 and 2012 and finished runner-up. This season, they are the champions of the South Division of the Big East Conference. The Lady Dutch earned their return to State with a 62-52 victory over Catholic Memorial in the Brown Deer Sectional final.
Laconia, the two-time defending champion in Division 4, moves up a division this season. The Spartans are seeded third in the bracket. They are making their fifth appearance at State overall, all coming in the last seven seasons. In each of the three previous trips to the tourney, they have advanced to the championship game in Division 4. The Spartans finished runner-up in 2019 and in 2022. They advance to semifinals this season by defeating Edgerton 57-42 in the Evansville Sectional final. Laconia is the champion of the Flyway Conference this year.
Xavier, last year’s runner-up, is the fourth seed in the bracket. The Hawks are appearing in their fourth State Tournament overall. The first two experiences came in succession in 2015 and 2016. Their most notable of the two appearances was the runner-up finish in 2015. The Hawks’ return to the semifinals this year as a result of a 63-45 win over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the Seymour Sectional final. They finished third in the Bay Conference during the regular season this year. As a former member of WISAA, the Hawks won the title in 1978 when there was only one division of the tournament and were runners-up an additional nine times.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: The Prairie School, the #1 seed, will be making its second straight appearance and its fourth overall. The Hawks one championship came the first time they qualified for State in 2004. Their experience last season and in 2013 resulted in losses in the semifinals. The Hawks are back in the semifinals this year after downing Westfield 67-33 in the Waterloo Sectional final. They are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference this season.
Second-seeded St. Mary Catholic will make its third State appearance and the Zephyrs’ first since two consecutive experiences in 2008-09. They advanced to the championship game in both those appearances, winning the title in 2009 and finishing runner-up in 2008. As a former member of WISAA, St. Mary Central, as it was previously named, won the Division 2 title in 1998. The Zephyrs tied Manitowoc Lutheran for the championship in the North Division of the Big East Conference this season, and they advanced through the Oconto Falls Sectional with a 65-54 win over Manitowoc Lutheran in the final.
Durand-Arkansaw is seeded third. The Panthers make their 12th appearance at State and their first since 2017. Back when the district was identified as Durand, they won two State championships, claiming back-to-back Class B titles in 1986-87. The Panthers also finished runner-up in 1996 in 2009. This season, they placed runner-up in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference behind Elk Mound, the top seeded in the Division 3 bracket. The Panthers beat McDonell Catholic 41-26 in the final of the Altoona Sectional to earn the journey to the Resch Center.
Fourth-seeded Cuba City, last year’s runner-up, is back for the second year in a row and for the membership-leading 18th time overall. The Cubans have also won more State titles than any other program with 11, winning championships in 1977, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2015. They also have a runner-up finish in 2009. The Cubans tied Mineral Point for the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League title this season, and their advance to State came through the Wisconsin Dells Sectional with a 47-43 triumph over Aquinas in the final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Assumption receives the top seed in the bracket. The Royals embark on their eighth appearance at State and the programs’ first since 2022. Four consecutive appearances from 2013-16 resulted in State championships in 2013, 2016 and 2021with runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. They also won the title in 2021 and added another runner-finish in 2022. This season, they placed first in the South Division of the Marawood Conference. The Royals defeated Sevastopol 61-42 in the sectional final played at Waupaca to continue to pursue their third championship.
Second-seeded Lourdes Academy will experience the State Tournament for the first time in program’s history after defeating last year’s champion Albany/Monticello 57-43 in the final of the Beaver Dam Sectional. The Knights claimed the championship in the East Division of the Trailways Conference during the regular season. As a former member of WISAA, Lourdes Academy won back-to-back Division 2 titles in 1994 and 1995.
Barneveld, the #3 seed, qualifies for the State Tournament for the 12th time overall and the first time since 2016. The Golden Eagles have won six State titles, capturing the Division 4 crowns in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2005 and the Division 5 titles in 2014 and 2015. In addition, they have a Division 4 runner-up finish in 2007 to go with two Division 5 second-place outcomes in 2013 and 2016. They finished second in the East Division of the Six Rivers Conference this season. The Golden Eagles beat Eleva-Strum 60-39 in the final of the La Crosse Logan Sectional for the opportunity to continue pursuing the program’s seventh title.
Fourth-seeded Owen-Withee makes its 10th tournament appearance overall and its first since 2014. The Blackhawks’ most notable outcomes at State have been runner-up finishes in 1988, 2003, 2005 and 2012. They finished second in the East Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season behind Neillsville. The Blackhawks defeated Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 37-29 in the Eau Claire North Sectional final to advance to the State semifinals.
Thursday, March 13
Division 3
#1 Elk Mound (26-1) vs. #4 Xavier (18-10) – 1:35 p.m.
#2 Oostburg (26-2) vs. #3 Laconia (24-4)*
Division 4
#1 The Prairie School (26-2) vs. #4 Cuba City (23-5) – 6:35 p.m.
#2 St. Mary Catholic (25-3) vs. #3 Durand-Arkansaw (23-5)*
Friday, March 14
Division 5
#1 Assumption (27-1) vs. #4 Owen-Withee (25-4) – 9:05 a.m.
#2 Lourdes Academy (24-5) vs. #3 Barneveld (21-7)*
Division 2
#1 Edgewood (27-1) vs. #4 Rice Lake (23-5) – 1:35 p.m.
#2 Wauwatosa East (27-1) vs. #3 West De Pere (23-5)*
Division 1
#1 Kimberly (27-1) vs. #4 Appleton East (19-8) – 6:35 p.m.
#2 Arrowhead (25-3) vs. #3 Muskego (24-4)*
Saturday, March 15
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.
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