With the 2026-27 high school girls basketball season officially tipping off next week, this could be the year of redemption for several teams across the team.
Four of last year’s six runner-ups have been pegged as the team to beat in their respective classification in the annual Deseret News preseason coaches rankings.
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Lone Peak (6A), Dixie (4A), Morgan (3A) and Rich (1A) all open the season ranked No. 1 a year after having their championship hopes dashed on the final day of the season.
As for the other two classifications, Pleasant Grove (5A) and Kanab (2A) begin the season ranked No. 1 in their quest for a repeat.
The season officially tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and concludes on March 6.
The 6A and 5A state tournaments will be held at Weber State, while the 4A state tournament will be held at UVU. The 3A and 1A tourneys will be played at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield, while 2A will wrap up its season in Cedar City at Southern Utah University.
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In 6A, Bingham denied Lone Peak a fifth-straight state championship with an impressive title run as the No. 6 seed a year ago, but there’s a good chance it was a one-off year for the Knights.
Not only does preseason No. 1 Lone Peak return three starters, but one of the top recruits in the country — Nation Williams — moved to Utah from Las Vegas in the offseason and will play for the Knights. She’s the daughter of Utah native and Olympian Natalie Williams.
Bingham checks in at No. 3 in the preseason rankings as it returns three starters from last year’s championship team.
In 5A, Pleasant Grove begins ranked No. 1 with three returning starters from last year’s squad that went a perfect 26-0 to win its first state championship in school history.
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Fremont begins ranked No. 2 as it returns four starters, while last year’s other semifinalists West and Bountiful both have big shoes to fill after the graduation of elite four-year starters, Kylee Falatea and Milika Satuala.
In 4A, Dixie was voted the overwhelmingly favorite in the preseason rankings as it returns four starters from last year’s team that lost to Green Canyon in the final.
Dixie’s biggest threat will likely be preseason No. 2 Ridgeline, which lost in the quarterfinals a year ago in its quest for a fourth-straight state championship. Three starters are back for the Riverhawks.
Defending state champ Green Canyon only returns one starter in its quest for a repeat.
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In 3A, Morgan begins the season ranked first in the Deseret News rankings, but if we learned anything from a year ago, throw seedings and rankings out the window come tourney time. In the 3A quarterfinals a year ago, No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 all lost, with No. 5 seed Layton Christian ultimately beating No. 6 Morgan for the championship.
With six different teams receiving first-place votes in the preseason rankings this year, chaos may reign again.
In 2A, Kanab has won four of the past five state championships, so it’s no surprise to see the Cowboys get the early nod again in 2026.
Dominant post player Rylee Little graduated after last season, but the Cowboys should be just fine in its pursuit of a repeat with four other starters returning.
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A year ago in 1A, Tabiona beat Rich for the state championship, but the script has been flipped in the coaches preseason rankings with Rich edging Tabiona for the top spot.
Both teams are loaded for another run at the championship as Rich returns four starters and Tabiona returns all five of its starters.
Provo and Dixie compete in the 4A girls basketball state tournament quarterfinal game at the Dee Event Center in Ogden on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Class 6A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Lone Peak (16-11)
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Westlake (21-5)
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Bingham (19-8)
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Cedar Valley (16-8)
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Skyridge (14-10)
Others receiving multiple votes: Mountain Ridge, Davis, Farmington, Syracuse.
Class 5A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Pleasant Grove (26-0)
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Fremont (22-4)
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Bountiful (23-3)
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West (25-2)
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Maple Mountain (16-10)
Others receiving multiple votes: Springville, Alta, West Jordan, Timpview.
Class 4A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Dixie (24-3)
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Ridgeline (17-9)
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Snow Canyon (15-10)
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Green Canyon (25-2)
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Provo (16-9)
Others receiving multiple votes: Mountain Crest, Mountain View, Judge Memorial, Timpanogos, Desert Hills, Pine View, Sky View.
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Class 3A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Morgan (16-11)
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Union (15-10)
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Delta (22-3)
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Grantsville (13-14)
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North Sanpete (20-7)
Others receiving multiple votes: Emery, Layton Christian, Canyon View, Ogden, Carbon.
Class 2A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Kanab (25-2)
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North Summit (20-7)
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Enterprise (21-5)
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Millard (15-10)
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Beaver (22-5)
Others receiving multiple votes: Duchesne, San Juan, South Summit, American Heritage.
Class 1A
Team (2025-26 record)
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Rich (21-6)
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Tabiona (24-2)
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Wayne (20-5)
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Panguitch (20-6)
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Piute (17-10)
Others receiving multiple votes: Whitehorse, Valley.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com






