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BEMIDJI — The Pacesetter Region 8 Youth Basketball Playoffs for boys and girls teams in grades four through seven will be held at Bemidji High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ on Saturday and Sunday, March 16-17.

Teams in grades five and seven will play Saturday, March 16, and teams in grades four and six will play Sunday, March 17.

Teams in grades eight and nine will play in four Super Sections:

North (Regions 7-8) – Girls St. Cloud March 17 • Boys St. Cloud March 24

Central (Regions 5-6) - Boys Monticello March 17 • Girls St. Cloud March 24.

Southwest (Regions 2-3) – Girls Lake Crystal March 17 • Boys Lake Crystal March 24

Southeast (Regions 1 & 4) – Girls Rochester March 17 • Boys Rochester March 24

Each region is limited to eight teams in the new Pacesetter statewide 64-team NCAA-style eight-region playoff system, and each two-region Super Section is limited to 16 teams, so 64 Minnesota teams in each grade/gender group will make the playoffs.

The champion in each region and the champion and runner-up in each Super Section will be invited to play in the overall Minnesota Youth Basketball State Championships in St. Cloud. The top two teams at state receive bids to the Pacesetter Great Five-State Championships at the Target Center in Minneapolis, where teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota will fill out the eight-team brackets.

Pacesetter Sports has conducted the Minnesota Youth Basketball state championships since 1993. Over 800 teams are expected to participate in 2024.

See the region lists and further information at