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Key dates: Arizona high school winter sports championships

richard obert, arizona republic
·4 min read

The Arizona Interscholastic Association's high school winter sports regular season is completed and playoff tournaments are underway in boys and girls basketball, soccer and wrestling. In basketball, playoffs include an Open Division tournament featuring 32 teams, in a format that allows losing teams in the first two rounds to fall back into conference championships. Here are key dates and locations for tournaments in each of the winter sports categories, many of which have been ongoing:

Boys basketball

The 32-team Open Division state tournament: Opening round Feb. 14 at the higher seed schools at 7 p.m.; second round: Friday, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; Quarterfinals: Feb. 23, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; semifinals: Feb. 28, at Scottsdale Chaparral High School, times TBA; Championship: March 2, 8 p.m., at Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum.

6A and 5A Conferences: Play-ins Feb. 16 at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; 16-team tournament opening round Feb. 21, at higher seeds; 7 p.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 23, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; semifinals Feb. 28 at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; 5A championship, March, 1, 8 p.m., Veterans Memorial Coliseum; 6A championship March 2, 2 p.m., at the Coliseum.

4A Conference: Play-ins Feb. 16 at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; 16-team tournament begins Feb. 21 at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 23, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; semifinals, Feb. 26, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; championship, Feb. 29, 8 p.m., at the Coliseum.

Perry Pumas' Barron Silsby (2) and D'Andre Harrison (13) snatch a rebound away from the Sunnyslope Vikings during their Open Division State Championship game at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Perry Pumas' Barron Silsby (2) and D'Andre Harrison (13) snatch a rebound away from the Sunnyslope Vikings during their Open Division State Championship game at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

3A Conference: Begins Feb. 14 at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; Second round Feb. 17, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 20, at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, 7 p.m.; semifinals Feb. 23, at the Coliseum, times TBD; championship Feb. 24, 6 p.m., at the Coliseum.

2A Conference: Begins Feb. 16 in Prescott (several locations), starting at 9 a.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 17 in Prescott; semifinals Feb. 23, at the Coliseum, times TBD; Championship game is Feb. 24, 2 p.m., at the Coliseum.

1A Conference: Semifinals are Feb 16 at Findlay Toyota Center, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; championship Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m., same location.

The Desert Vista Thunder celebrate their 63-37 win over the Millennium Tigers for the Open Division State Championship game at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 4, 2023, in Phoenix.
The Desert Vista Thunder celebrate their 63-37 win over the Millennium Tigers for the Open Division State Championship game at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 4, 2023, in Phoenix.

Girls basketball

Open tournament: Second round is Feb. 15, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 22, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; semifinals Feb. 27, at Mountain Pointe High School, time TBD; championship March 2, 5 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

6A, 5A and 4A Conferences: Play-ins Feb. 15, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; 16-team tournament starts Feb. 22, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; quarterfinals Feb. 24, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; semifinals Feb. 27, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.; 6A championship March 2, 11 a.m., at the Coliseum; 5A March 1, 6 p.m., at Coliseum; 4A Feb. 29, 6 p.m., at Coliseum.

3A Conference: Second round Feb. 16, 7 p.m., at higher seeds; quarterfinals Feb. 19, at Toyota Findlay Center, Prescott Valley, times TBD: semifinals Feb. 23, times TBD at the Coliseum; championship Feb. 24, 4 p.m., at the Coliseum.

2A Conference: Starts Feb. 16, in Prescott area, various locations, starting at 10:30 a.m.; quarterfinals Feb. 17, in Prescott area, times TBD; semifinals Feb. 23, at the Coliseum, times TBD; championship Feb. 24, noon, at the Coliseum.

1A Conference: Semifinals are Feb. 16, at Findlay Toyota Center, 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Championship Feb. 17, at Findlay Toyota Center, 4 p.m.

Boys soccer

6A quarterfinals Feb. 17, 2 p.m., at higher seeds. Semifinals Feb. 20 at higher seeds, 6 p.m. Championship Feb. 24, at Mesa High, 6:30 p.m.

5A quarterfinals Feb. 17, 2 p.m., at higher seeds. Semifinals Feb. 20, at higher seeds, 6 p.m. Championship Feb. 24, 1:30 p.m., at Mesa High.

Northwest Christian School’s Keegan Young (3), left, and Thatcher High School’s Tate Oosterhouse (1), right, rush to the ball during the first half of the AIA 3A boys soccer quarterfinal game at Northwest Christian School in Phoenix on February 10, 2024. Northwest Christian School won 3-1.
Northwest Christian School’s Keegan Young (3), left, and Thatcher High School’s Tate Oosterhouse (1), right, rush to the ball during the first half of the AIA 3A boys soccer quarterfinal game at Northwest Christian School in Phoenix on February 10, 2024. Northwest Christian School won 3-1.

4A quarterfinals Feb. 17, 2 p.m., at higher seeds. Semifinals Feb. 20, at higher seeds, 6 p.m. Championship Feb. 23, 7:15 p.m., at Mountain Pointe High.

3A championship Feb. 17, 4:15 p.m., at Coronado High.

Girls soccer

6A first round today, Feb. 14, at higher seeds. Quarterfinals Feb. 17, noon, at higher seeds. Semifinals Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at higher seeds. Championship Feb. 24, 4 p.m., at Mesa High.

Xavier Prep midfielder Lourdes Lauterborn (4) shields the ball from Perry midfielder Olivia Warmouth (5) during a game at Perry High School.
Xavier Prep midfielder Lourdes Lauterborn (4) shields the ball from Perry midfielder Olivia Warmouth (5) during a game at Perry High School.

5A first round Feb. 14, 6 p.m., at higher seeds. Quarterfinals Feb. 17, at higher seeds, noon. Semifinals Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at higher seeds. Championship Feb. 24, 11 a.m., at Mesa.

4A first round Feb. 14, at higher seeds. Quarterfinals Feb. 17, noon, at higher seeds. Semifinals Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at higher seeds. Championship Feb. 23, 5 p.m., at Mountain Pointe.

3A semifinals Feb. 14, 6 p.m., at higher seeds. Championship Feb. 17, 2 p.m., at Coronado High.

Wrestling

Boys and girls state championships are Feb. 16-17, at the Coliseum for Divisions I, II, III and IV. Doors open for the public at 7:30 a.m., on Friday. Doors open for the public Saturday at 9 a.m. Wrestling begins for all divisions in Saturday at 10 a.m. Parade of champions at 4 p.m. All divisions championship finals at 4:30 p.m.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Key dates for AIA winter sports high school state championships