PORTLAND — The class 6A high school boys basketball tournament is returning to Portland.

The Oregon School Activities Association executive board on Monday unanimously approved the Rose Garden as the home of both the boys and girls tournaments next March.

The girls tournament had been at the University of Portland since 1983, but the school recently notified the OSAA that it no longer wanted to be the host site.

OSAA executive director Tom Welter noted in a press release that all but seven of the state’s 46 6A schools are located between Portland and Salem, so the move will lessen travel costs.

The OSAA moved the tournament from Portland to Eugene in 2004. McArthur Court will continue to host the 5A boys tournament and also will host the girls event, which had been held at the University of Portland along with the 6A girls tourney.

This will be the first time the 6A boys and girls tournaments will be held at the same site.

“This move not only places these events in an NBA facility and the best basketball arena in the state, it also will result in considerable savings in travel costs and missed class time for the participating schools,” Welter said in the release.

“We are very excited about bringing the tournament back to Portland, which creates an amazing opportunity for these young men and women to play in one of the country’s pre-eminent arenas,” said Chris Oxley, general manager of the Rose Quarter.

Welter credited the support and cooperation of the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Arena Management and the City of Portland for making the Rose Garden agreement possible.