Washington High School Basketball State Regionals Pairings Announced

Teams seeded 1-8 guaranteed tournament spots, 9-12 must win regionals to advance

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has announced the pairings for the 2026 high school boys and girls basketball state regionals. Teams seeded 1-8 in each classification are guaranteed a spot at the state tournament sites, while teams seeded 9-12 must win their regional games to advance.

Why it matters

The state regionals are a crucial step on the road to the high school basketball state championships. These matchups will determine which teams move on to compete for state titles at the Tacoma Dome, Yakima Valley SunDome, and Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane.

The details

The regional games will be played on Friday and Saturday, with play-in games on Tuesday. In each classification, the top 8 seeds are guaranteed a spot at the state tournament sites, while the 9-12 seeds must win their regional games to advance. Some of the top matchups include 4A No. 1 Mount Si vs. No. 8 West Valley, 3A No. 1 Rainier Beach vs. No. 8 Bellevue, and 1A No. 1 King's vs. No. 8 Lakeside.

  • The regional games will be played on Friday and Saturday, February 28-29, 2026.
  • Play-in games will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.

The players

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association

The organization that oversees high school sports in the state of Washington, including the boys and girls basketball state tournaments.

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The takeaway

The state regionals will determine which teams advance to the highly anticipated high school basketball state tournaments, where champions will be crowned in each of the six classifications.