Just FYI taken from the GF Herald....put it in this thread because it talks about Class B Girls State tourn..
FARGO — In the 25 years that Fargo Public Schools Activities Director Todd Olson has been involved with the East Region high school basketball tournaments, he said he could not remember a time when the tournaments were held anywhere other than one large neutral venue.
That will change this March when the East Region boys and girls basketball tournaments are scheduled to be held at Fargo and West Fargo high schools all three days of each event. The dates for the tournaments are set for March 1, 4 and 5.
A lack of large neutral venues led to the change. Both tournaments have been held at North Dakota State's Bison Sports Arena, but that venue is in a renovation project before it reopens in the fall as the new Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
The Alerus Center in Grand Forks, which hosted both tournaments last year, is hosting the Class B girls basketball state tournament March 3-5. Scheels Arena is hosting a large youth hockey tournament that weekend, and Olson said parking downtown was a concern that put the Fargo Civic Center out of the running.
All of those scenarios led Eastern Dakota Conference principals and activities directors to agree on hosting the tournaments at high school gyms in Fargo and West Fargo the final two days.
"It was really easy to agree on because everyone knew the status of the other venues," Olson said. "It was something we were talking about for more than a year because we knew the Class B girls basketball tournament was going to be in Grand Forks and that wasn't going to be an option. We were going to need multiple gyms and here in Fargo and West Fargo have the most facilities and the largest facilities. That is the direction we went."
The setup remains unchanged with the first round of the tournament. That's when higher-seeded teams will host games on Tuesday, March 1. It changes after that.
On Friday, March 4, the tournament structure will feature two games being hosted at four different sites—Fargo South, Fargo North, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo. The final day, which features a total of six games—four state qualifiers and two championships--will be hosted at Sheyenne and West Fargo.
Tentatively, the plan is to have all the girls games at Sheyenne, with times of 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., while West Fargo will host the three boys games at times of noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. That is all subject to change given that no team can hold home-court advantage.
Simply put, this plan is going to keep Olson busy.
"We are going to try to make it fan friendly even though we are at four different sites on Friday," Olson said. "I will try to pair up boys and girls teams from the same schools so they play at the same gym on the Friday night to the extent I can under the parameters that they can't play in their home gym. It will be interesting."
Ticket prices set by the North Dakota High School Activities Association are as follows: Tuesday (adults $7, students $5 or $8 and $5 if gym is hosting two games), Friday (adults $8, students $5 good for for two games) and Saturday (adults $10 and students $5 for a daily pass good at all gyms).
Saturday's schedule will be determined by Olson following the conclusion of Friday's games.
"We are hoping it will work out to where we can assign the girls games to Sheyenne and the boys games to West Fargo High School the last day," Olson said. "If home-court becomes an issue, then we'll make that change, but I think we have a good framework so that it won't be that difficult of a task."
The tournament likely will return to a larger venue next season, possibly at NDSU's new Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
"We have had brief conversations with NDSU, but nothing official or serious," Olson said. "My plan is this spring to go out to NDSU and visit with them and see if we can secure (their venue) for that weekend."
Olson said in the years when one larger venue is not be available, officials may have to use the format they are using this year.
"This would be a fall-back plan if arenas aren't available," Olson said. "We don't know. Maybe people will like this format. It will be interesting to see how it plays out."