By: Matthew Salvi, Spring 2026 Intern
The 44th Annual New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Basketball State Championships return to Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in Troy from March 19-22. Hudson Valley has hosted the event for the last 29 years (1996).
“Throughout its history, the NYSPHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships has distinguished itself as one of the finest tournaments in the nation combining outstanding teams with exceptional students who are representative of their communities,” said Tim Lincoln, NYSPHSAA Girls Basketball State Coordinator. “We celebrate 29 years at Hudson Valley with once again a crew of nearly 100 Section 2 volunteers who successfully conduct this event and help create memorable experiences while we get to witness a fantastic display of girls basketball.”
Both girls and boys basketball state tournaments are in their third year of six classifications which has extended the tournament to a Thursday through Sunday event for a total of 18 games at each site. Over those four days, 24 teams will compete in each tournament in semifinals and finals with champions crowned Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning when the finals take place.
Albertus Magnus (Section I) highlights the 2026 Girls Class AAA bracket. They captured the 2025 Class AAA and 2024 Class AA championships and have now totaled four titles since the early 1990’s. Aquinas (Section V) is also in the bracket and will try to avenge its 2025 state final loss. William Floyd (Section XI) and Shaker (Section 2) round out the last slots and will both be looking for their first state championship.
The Class AA and Class B field of teams features a group of schools who have never won the state crown. In Class AA, its North Tonawanda (Section VI), Horseheads (Section IV), Bethlehem (Section 2) and Nyack (Section I) and in Class B, Chenango Forks (Section IV), Marcellus (Section III), Mechanicville (Section 2) and Yonkers Montessori Academy (Section I) have qualified.
The field of teams in Class A is led by Utica Notre Dame (Section III) which captured titles in 2024, 2014 and 1983. Our Lady of Mercy (Section V), which won its only title in 1985, joins the field as does two state finalists, Albany Academy (Section 2), runner-up in 2024, and Tappan Zee (Section I), runner-up in 2022.
In Class C, defending state champion Frewsburg (Section VI) returns and faces Delaware Academy (Section IV) who won a girls championship in 2018. The other matchup will be between Greenwich (Section 2) and Tuckahoe (Section I), two teams looking to become state champions for the first time.
Finally, the Class D tournament will be led by two-time defending champion Batavia Notre Dame (Section V) who won in 2013 and 1999. They will face Stamford (Section IV)—their deepest run was losing in the state finals in 1995. Both Chateaugay (Section X) and Smithtown Christian (Section XI) round out the field and have never won state titles.
The tournament tips off at 2:30 pm Thursday with the Class AAA semifinals and continues with semifinals and finals through Sunday morning.
Tickets are $13.60 (including fees) for each day and can be purchased only online at https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAA. The event schedule can be found at www.nysphsaa.org.
All semifinals and finals will be streamed on the NFHS Network, the official broadcasting partner of NYSPHSAA.