Section 7 high school girls basketball tournament 2026 schedule, teams

For high school basketball fans and college scouts, the summer mostly belongs to club ball season.

But not in mid-June – at least not out West. It's once again the time of year when most of the best teams from California and Arizona along with many other powerhouse prep programs from the Western United States meet up in the Phoenix area for Section 7.

With the boys' side of Section 7 taking place from June 9-14, the girls are slated for June 18-20 in the 2026 edition of one of girls basketball's preeminent scholastic summer showcases. This year, 128 teams headlined by a variety of national and regional powers, will go at it across eight divisions in three days.

Perennial California juggernaut Etiwanda, which has won three state titles, two CIF-Southern Section titles, and two national titles over the past four seasons, heads to Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa in pursuit of its fourth consecutive Section 7 crown. And it will be one of the top favorites to take home the 2026 title after finishing last season ranked 13th in the nation and returning most of its team. Etiwanda's biggest competition will probably come from reigning national champion Ontario Christian, and a potential meeting between the teams would possibly constitute a battle of the nation's two top-ranked preseason teams looking ahead to the 2026-27 campaign. They also happen to be in neighboring towns. Ontario Christian won 80-66 in their lone meeting of the 2025-26 season to end Etiwanda's season and advance to the CIF Open Division Regional championship led by 23 points and six assists from SN's National Player of the Year, rising senior guard Kaleena Smith.

The event's top division, City of Mesa, is jam-packed with more nationally recognized programs, including a slew of other California contenders. The Golden State contingent also consists of incumbent national No. 3 Archbishop Mitty, Mater Dei, Francis Parker, and Windward. Host state Arizona will be well-represented by reigning AIA Open Division champion Millennium, runner-up O'Connor, and one more incumbent top-five team in the state, Campo Verde. Nevada champion Bishop Gorman and runner-up (and 2025 state champion) Democracy Prep Agassi Campus will be in attendance. Utah's Pleasant Grove is a dark horse contender to go all the way after going undefeated in 2025-26 for a top-25 finish in the nation, and the state will also be represented by perennial power Lone Peak. Eagle will hope to carry the flag for Idaho like it did in last season's Nike TOC after going 25-2 for a state title. Oregon will be represented by 2025 state champion and nationally ranked stalwart Tualatin. And to close out the City of Mesa division, Section 7 will see representation from North Dakota's 2025-26 third place finisher, Mandan.

The other seven divisions are stacked as well, with countless other big-name programs across the Western States. They include California's Oak Park, JSerra, Clayton Valley Charter, Notre Dame, Carondelet, La Jolla Country Day, and St. Joseph (Santa Maria), Arizona's Perry and Pasha, Colorado's Cherokee Trail and Regis Jesuit, New Mexico's Hobbs and Kirtland Central, Middleton (ID), Hamilton (AZ), and Centennial (NV). The list of tough teams goes on and on.

For full schedules and division breakdowns, head to this link Exposure's website and click on "NFHS".