Resch Center ready for tournament

ASHWAUBENON - Preparations for the start of the high school girls basketball state tournament are just about complete.

For the next three days, the Resch Center will host the best teams in the Wisconsin.

Officials at the Resch hope early ticket sales are an indicator of what's to come.    

Crews put the finishing touches on the Resch Center arena Wednesday morning.

"You'll see some of the decals around the corners of the floor, we got the floor decals down, the score table banner," said Deb Hauser, WIAA associate director.

After a year of courting, the court is complete. The WIAA and the Resch Center struck a two-year deal to host the tournament. The girl's event had been held in Madison for 38 years. This year's tournament will be new for players, fans, and the WIAA.

"I'm approaching it with the idea that this is where this may stay. So every possible effort and every special extra touch that we can put on it is being made," said Hauser.

As of Wednesday morning, ticket sales hovered around the 21,000 mark. Organizers say once the tip-off starts on Thursday, they hope to fill the Resch from start to finish.

"Obviously the local schools are really a big draw, and a big assist for us. It's great family entertainment. You can come our here, watch two games of basketball, for ten dollars," said Cora Haltaufderheid, PMI chief operating officer.

• Photos: Preps for Girls High School Basketball

And with 10,000 seats,

"It's the perfect size for girls basketball," said Haltaufderheid.

Organizers hope weekend attendance will top 35,000, and send a message to the WIAA.

"We're a place to call home, and that's what they really need rather than going from the field house to the Alliant Energy Center, different places around Madison. We can guarantee them a home for many, many years," said Haltaufderheid.

"We have made no decisions, we haven't put a timeline on any decisions will be made. We want to see what happens," said Hauser.

Resch Center officials say they will meet with the WIAA as early as next week to talk about improvements for next year's tournament.