Jamestown Civic Center to Host 2026 NDHSAA Division A Girls Tournament

The Jamestown Civic Center is hosting the 2026 NDHSAA Division A Girls Basketball State Tournament March 5–7, and WDAY will televise the quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship, carried locally on CSi WDAY HD 80.6 and WDAY Xtra HD 80.107. The tournament is managed by the North Dakota High School Activities Association with local event operations at the Civic Center.

Quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at the Civic Center with matchups listed on NDHSAANOW as G1: #2 Thompson vs #7 Rugby; G2: #3 Valley City vs #6 Devils Lake; G3: #1 South Prairie-Max vs #8 Watford City; and G4: #4 Kindred vs #5 Hazen. Consolation semifinals and semifinals are set for Friday, March 6, and placement games including the 7th, 5th and 3rd place games plus the final (G12) are scheduled for Saturday, March 7. NDHSAANOW will post bracket updates as teams qualify and matchups are finalized.

Reserved tickets for the general public went on sale at 10 a.m. CDT Monday, Jan. 26 through the NDHSAA GoFan Ticket Box Office; single-session and general admission tickets became available to the public Monday, March 2. NDHSAA guidance asks fans to follow @NDHSAA and to consult NDHSAANOW for real-time bracket postings, live video stream information and final box scores as games conclude.

Venue rules will be enforced at the Jamestown Civic Center: the city calendar states, “NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK, INCLUDING PERSONAL DRINK CONTAINERS.” Concessions will be available throughout the tournament. Civic Center manager Pam Fosse said of last month’s Division B event, “It was good for the community, it was good for everybody.” Fosse reported the Division B championship sold 4,700 tickets—near Civic Center capacity—and that concessions grossed about $55,000 over the three-day tournament.

NDHSAA assistant director Justin Fletschock praised the prior event’s operations: “We really thought everything went well. No issues with the Civic Center. Very welcoming and well done.” Fosse and city officials are considering facility upgrades including a new sound system estimated at about $300,000 (the current system dates to 1976), new east-end bleachers, a scorers table and courtside seating, south locker room lockers, improved upper-level handrails and lobby window tinting; those projects would require Jamestown City Council approval.

City and NDHSAA communications list a multi-year hosting commitment through 2031 and also include language indicating Division A appearances in both 2026 and 2027 that conflicts with a stated two-year alternation between Division A and Division B after 2025; that sequencing has not been clarified in NDHSAA materials. Brackets, live-stream details and final box scores will be posted on NDHSAANOW as the tournament proceeds.