Basketball Championships return to Colonial Life Arena

After a five-year absence from the capital city and the best basketball venue in the state, the South Carolina High School League’s (SCHSL) Boys and Girls Basketball State Championships are returning to Colonial Life Arena (CLA) in 2026. No one is more excited than the SCHSL’s corporate partners, Live Vape Free and Experience Columbia.

Live Vape Free, an initiative of the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention Section, will serve as the presenting sponsor of the Championships, promoting their educational messages about the dangers of vaping and providing the audience at the arena and on the statewide television broadcast of the twelve championship games with options on how to access free quit support.

Meanwhile, Experience Columbia SC (ECSC) will promote the hotels, restaurants, and attractions in the capital city for fans who will descend upon Colonial Life Arena from March 5th, 6th, and 7th for the state championship games.

Additionally, throughout the Upper State and Lower State Semifinals, winning teams will be able to celebrate punching their tickets to CLA for the state championships with a social media campaign sponsored by Experience Columbia.  The campaign will take place on the SCHSL social media accounts.

“We’re excited to welcome the SCHSL back to Columbia for the first time in six years,” said ECSC Sports Executive Director Scott Powers. “We’ve served as a partner to this event for two decades and it’s always special having the opportunity to host the state’s top players as they vie for victory in one of the country’s best collegiate basketball arenas.”

SCHSL Boys and Girls Basketball State Championship Schedule

Tickets for all three days of the SCHSL Basketball State Championships presented by Live Vape Free are available through Ticketmaster at https://www.coloniallifearena.com/events/detail/schsl-basketball-state-playoffs-finals