- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Mackay Today
By the People, for the People
Hillcrest v. Blackfoot in Round 1, Firth above Rire?: Examining the girls' state bracket
The IHSAA's seeding system raises questions about the 3A tournament bracket
Published on Feb. 16, 2026
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
The Idaho High School Activities Association bases its state brackets' seeding entirely on MaxPreps rankings, which has led to some questionable decisions in the 3A girls' basketball tournament. Specifically, the No. 2 seed Firth Cougars will face the No. 7 West Side Pirates, while the No. 4 seed Ririe Bulldogs will take on the tougher No. 5 Grangeville. This means Ririe, who won the district championship, could face the top-seeded Malad Dragons in the second round, while Firth gets a more favorable matchup with No. 3 Ambrose.
Why it matters
The IHSAA's seeding system based solely on MaxPreps rankings has created an uneven playing field in the 3A girls' basketball tournament, with the district champion Ririe Bulldogs potentially facing a tougher path to the championship game than the conference champion Firth Cougars. This raises questions about the fairness and accuracy of the ranking system used to determine tournament seeding.
The details
Firth won the conference championship, earning home-court advantage during the district tournament. After falling to the Cougars both times the two teams met during the regular season, Ririe got revenge with a pair of playoff victories to win the district championship. Yet, it's Firth who takes the No. 2 seed in the 3A state tournament bracket, while Ririe slides into the 4-seed. This means Ririe will get the tougher round-one game, against No. 5 Grangeville — versus Firth's pairing with No. 7 West Side. And if the higher seed wins all four first-round games in the 3A tournament, Ririe will be matched up with top-seeded Malad in the second round, while Firth will get a considerably more favorable matchup with 3-seed Ambrose.
- Firth won the conference championship, earning home-court advantage during the district tournament.
- After falling to the Cougars both times the two teams met during the regular season, Ririe got revenge with a pair of playoff victories to win the district championship.
The players
Firth Cougars
The Firth Cougars are the conference champions and the No. 2 seed in the 3A state tournament.
Ririe Bulldogs
The Ririe Bulldogs are the district champions and the No. 4 seed in the 3A state tournament.
Malad Dragons
The Malad Dragons are the No. 1 seed in the 3A state tournament.
Ambrose
Ambrose is the No. 3 seed in the 3A state tournament.
Grangeville
Grangeville is the No. 5 seed in the 3A state tournament and will face the No. 4 seed Ririe Bulldogs in the first round.
The takeaway
The IHSAA's seeding system based solely on MaxPreps rankings has created an uneven playing field in the 3A girls' basketball tournament, with the district champion Ririe Bulldogs potentially facing a tougher path to the championship game than the conference champion Firth Cougars. This raises questions about the fairness and accuracy of the ranking system used to determine tournament seeding.
