THE TOURNAMENT: The WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, March 14-16 at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. This marks the first time the girls basketball State Tournament will be conducted outside of Madison in its 38-year history. No determination will be made on the location of the girls tournament beyond 2014 until there has been an opportunity to experience the tournament at the Resch Center and Green Bay area.
THE TOURNAMENT LOGO: The State Girls Basketball Tournament graphics was designed by the PMI Entertainment Group Marketing Department and it will be displayed on materials promoting the tournament and on the court during the tournament. The theme: Our Journey – Our Place – Our Time embraces the idea of creating a place for the girls tournament to call their own and provide a tournament experience that those involved will treasure for a lifetime.
ORDERING TICKETS: Beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 12, tickets for the tournament will be available for purchase online at Ticket Star <ticketstaronline.com>. All-Session and individual session tickets will be available for purchase. All tickets will be $12 per session. A link will also be provided on the WIAA website <www.wiaawi.org>.
ORDERING TICKETS BY PHONE: Call Ticket Star at 1-800-895-0071. Those requiring handicap seating may call Ticket Star at 1-800-895-0071.
LODGING DURING THE TOURNAMENTS: Through the cooperation of the Greater Green Bay & The Lakeshore Convention & Visitors Bureau and participating hotel/motel properties, lodging is available at family-friendly rates with no multi-night minimums required. To reserve a room for the tournament dates, log-on to the GBCVB website to book rooms <http://www.greenbay.com/visit_us/hotels_and_motels/>.
PARKING: The Resch Center and the Stadium district has an abundance of parking for patrons. The Lambeau Field Green Lot and the Blue Lot located across the street from the Resch Center will provide ample parking for just $6 per day.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK: Follow the progress and insights leading up to and through the State Girls Basketball Tournament in Green Bay on Twitter with the hashtag #wiaawigirlsbk.
RESCH OVERVIEW: The Resch Center has been the host venue for the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament since 2002, the year the facility opened. With a seating capacity of approximately 10,000, the Resch Center is the home for the UW-Green Bay men’s basketball games. In 2004, the Resch Center was named Tour Guide Magazine's Best New Venue. It was also ranked by Pollstar as one of the top 100 buildings in the world and has hosted NCAA tournaments, including a Women’s Volleyball Regional and the Men’s Hockey Regional.
TOURNAMENT GAME SCHEDULE:
Thursday, March 14
1:35 p.m. - Division 5 Semifinals
Sectional #2 Winner vs. Sectional #3 Winner
Sectional #1 Winner vs. Sectional #4 Winner
6:35 p.m. - Division 4 Semifinals
Sectional #2 Winner vs. Sectional #3 Winner
Sectional #1 Winner vs. Sectional #4 Winner
Friday, March 15
9:05 a.m. - Division 3 Semifinals
Sectional #2 Winner vs. Sectional #3 Winner
Sectional #1 Winner vs. Sectional #4 Winner
1:35 p.m. - Division 2 Semifinals
Sectional #2 Winner vs. Sectional #3 Winner
Sectional #1 Winner vs. Sectional #4 Winner
6:35 p.m. - Division 1 Semifinals
Sectional #2 Winner vs. Sectional #3 Winner
Sectional #1 Winner vs. Sectional #4 Winner
Saturday, March 16
11:05 a.m. - Championship Games - Divisions 5, 4 & 3
6:35 p.m. - Championship Games - Divisions 2 & 1
GIRLS TOURNEY LOCATION HISTORY: The tournament was held at the University of Wisconsin Field House in Madison exclusively until the tournament was played in the Kohl Center in 1998. It returned to the UW Field House for the 1999, 2000 and 2002 State Tournaments. The Alliant Energy Center in Madison became the home for the girls tournament for the first time in 2004 and was the site of the tournament again from 2006-2009. The Kohl Center has played host to the event in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12.
GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND: The WIAA began sponsoring a girls basketball tournament program in 1976. The tournament followed a three-class format until 1990-91 when a four-division format was adopted. After a two-year experimental period, the division format became permanent in 1992-93. In 2011, a fifth division was added and restructuring of the divisions qualified four teams in each division.
GIRLS BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVES: Cuba City has been to the State Tournament more than any other school with 13 appearances. Janesville Parker is next on that list with 12. Durand, Fall Creek, Milwaukee Washington and Oostburg are next with 10. Cuba City leads in the number of State titles won with nine, followed by Milwaukee Washington with five. There have been 78 different schools that have won championships.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 507 senior high schools and 70 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit and unincorporated organization that sponsors 25 championship tournament series. For more information, please contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580 or access our website at <www.wiaawi.org>, or contact Terry Charles, Public Relations Manager of the PMI Entertainment Group, at (920) 405-1194 <Terry.Charles@pmiwi.com>.