South Dakota High School Basketball State Tournaments Moved from Sioux Falls to Rapid City in 2026

The state's premier high school sporting event will be hosted in Rapid City due to scheduling conflicts at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 6:55am

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The South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) has announced that the Class AA and A boys basketball state tournaments will be held in Rapid City at The Monument in 2026, breaking a 65-year run of Sioux Falls hosting the event. The Class AA girls tournament will also be held in Rapid City, while the Class A and B girls tournaments will be in Watertown and Brookings respectively. The move is due to scheduling conflicts at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, which is hosting NCAA Division I hockey regionals and Division II wrestling championships that year.

Why it matters

The high school basketball state tournaments are a major event in South Dakota, drawing large crowds and significant media attention. The decision to move the tournaments from Sioux Falls, the state's largest city, to Rapid City reflects the challenges of scheduling major events in a limited timeframe, especially in March when high school, college, and professional sports seasons overlap.

The details

The SDHSAA Executive Director, Dan Swartos, said the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls is the only venue in the city that can accommodate the 5,000 to 7,000 fans that attend the state tournaments. However, with the Premier Center already booked for NCAA events and the Sioux Falls Stampede hockey team, there was no available time slot for the high school tournaments in 2026. As a result, the SDHSAA decided to move the AA and A boys tournaments to Rapid City's The Monument, with the AA girls also being held there. The Class A and B girls tournaments will take place in Watertown and Brookings respectively.

  • The Class AA and A boys tournaments will be held in Rapid City from March 19 to 21, 2026.
  • The Class AA girls tournament will be held in Rapid City from March 12 to 14, 2026.
  • The Class A girls tournament will be held in Watertown on March 12 to 14, 2026.
  • The Class B girls tournament will be held in Brookings on March 12 to 14, 2026.

The players

Dan Swartos

The Executive Director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA).

Mike Krewson

The General Manager of the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

The Monument

A sports and entertainment venue in Rapid City, South Dakota that will host the Class AA and A boys basketball state tournaments as well as the Class AA girls tournament in 2026.

Denny Sanford Premier Center

A multi-purpose arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that has hosted the high school basketball state tournaments for the past 65 years, but will not be able to do so in 2026 due to scheduling conflicts.

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What they’re saying

“We might have an opportunity to have some more casual fans out in Rapid City. For the people who are there, if they want to bop between venues for different games throughout the tournament, they'd be allowed to do that and see both classes at the same time.”

— Dan Swartos, Executive Director, South Dakota High School Activities Association

“Different events reach different people. We try to schedule in everything we can and be accommodating, but sometimes there's not enough weeks in the month. Especially March, which is our busiest.”

— Mike Krewson, General Manager, Denny Sanford Premier Center

What’s next

The success of the 2026 state tournaments in Rapid City will help determine if the move becomes permanent or if the tournaments return to Sioux Falls in 2028.

The takeaway

The decision to move South Dakota's high school basketball state tournaments from Sioux Falls to Rapid City in 2026 highlights the challenges of scheduling major events in a limited timeframe, especially when multiple high-profile sporting events are taking place concurrently. It also presents an opportunity for Rapid City to showcase its facilities and attract new fans to the tournaments.