Arizona
Arizona women’s basketball gets first home win in Big 12 play
Cincinnati lives off offensive rebounds. It was no different on Wednesday night against Arizona. It just wasn’t enough as the Wildcats defeated the Bearcats 72-62 to get their first home win in Big 12 conference play.
“We played a super gritty, a good basketball team in Cincinnati that plays a similar style to us, just with athleticism on the wings and hard to guard one-on-one,” said Arizona head coach Adia Barnes. “I think their four, (Jillian) Hayes, is really good. And that was a matchup that I was kind of worried about. But, I mean, they just outmuscled us second half, but we still found a way to come up with a win. So I’m happy about that.”
Arizona started hot in all parts of the game. The Wildcats outscored UC 15-2 in the first quarter, hitting 50 percent of their shots from the field and going 3 for 4 from beyond the arc. They outrebounded the Bearcats 14-6 and held them to two offensive boards. UC hit just 1 of 15 shots.
“They got punched when we first got out here,” said UC head coach Katrina Merriweather. “I do think we had some really open, easy shots in the beginning that we normally make and go down. So to me, it was just to get settled. We have plenty of basketball to go, and don’t let this one quarter define who we are, because we know it doesn’t. But I was pretty burnt up on the inside.”
UC bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring Arizona 20-17. The Bearcats got extra possessions by grabbing four offensive rebounds and turning the Wildcats over four times.
A major turning point came just seconds before the end of the first half. Freshman guard Lauryn Swann lay on the court holding her head. The officials looked at the replay and said there was no foul on the play. There was no replay shown in the arena, but television replay showed she was hit near the ear.
Swann was eventually helped to her feet. She staggered out of the arena with aid from the Arizona training staff. She did not return. Barnes said she would be re-evaluated in the coming days.
Swann was Arizona’s leading scorer with 10 points, one rebound, and two assists in 15 minutes of play before going out.
The Wildcats struggled to get things going early in the second half. Barnes finally sent in sophomore guard Skylar Jones, whose minutes have been limited in some recent games.
“It’s tough when a player comes in the second half and gets 16 points in 16 minutes and is the leading scorer,” Merriweather said. “So I would say we were surprised, but we kind of expected at some point she would come in the game.”
In addition to her 16 points in just over 16.5 minutes, Jones added five rebounds and two assists.
“My coach put a little fire under my butt, and I need a little kick in the butt sometimes to get myself mentally in the right head space because when I’m in a good head space that’s when I play my best,” Jones said. “And I’m glad that my coach knows how to do that, even when I’m mad and I feel like it’s not what I want, I know that she’s doing it for a reason. I was mad when she said, ‘Come on, let’s play,’ in the third quarter.”
Cincinnati cut the Arizona lead to two points with 7:08 left to go in the game. The Bearcats were not able to tie or take the lead.
“I think in that moment, if I could do it again, I’d call a time out,” Merriweather said. “I think it took a lot out of us to get it down to two and probably should have reset the team.”
Arizona ended with four players in double figures. Jada Williams (14) and Paulina Paris (10) joined Jones and Swann. Breya Cunningham came up just short with 9 points but had a career-high 15 rebounds to help Arizona win the overall battle of the boards 41-38.
The Wildcats went 28-56 from the floor, hitting an even 50 percent of their shots. They went 9 for 22 from 3-point distance for the second straight game. UC won the battle for offensive rebounds 18-10. The Bearcats turned Arizona over 17 times while only giving the ball away 10 times on their end.
Arizona improved to 13-8 overall and 4-4 in Big 12 play. Cincinnati moved to 11-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference.
Next up for Arizona is West Virginia, another defensive-oriented team.
Arizona
Arizona’s Rugged Wilderness Area Has Gorgeous Mountain Trails And Scenic Camping Spots – Islands
While those who haven’t spent a lot of time exploring Arizona may associate the Grand Canyon State with towering saguaro cacti and endless stretches of barren, moon-like landscapes, that description, though accurate, does not tell the complete story. Because located within the Tonto and Coconino National Forests is 252,500 acres of rugged wilderness that, in addition to cacti and desert, also includes pine forests, snow-dusted mountain peaks, and the Verde River, Arizona’s only designated Wild River Area.
Called the Mazatzal Wilderness Area, and spanning from the brush-covered Sonoran Desert to the tip of the 7,903-foot Mazatzal Peak and beyond, the area became a designated wilderness in 1940. It has since become known for its diverse, rugged scenery that includes steep ridges, narrow canyons, riparian habitats, and 240 miles of hiking trails, many of which are too craggy and steep for mountain bikes and horses. The trails are gorgeous, however, offering sweeping forest and mountain views as well as several scenic camping spots along creeks and ridgelines of wildflowers. Mazatzal, which gets its name from an Aztec word that means “land inhabited by deer,” is home to mule deer and whitetails as well as bald eagles, river otters, bears, and kit foxes, among other wildlife.
Mazatzal is unique in that it combines a rich network of diverse ecosystems into one expansive wilderness area, allowing you to swim in a cactus-lined river or cool off in an icy mountain waterfall. Just two hours from Phoenix, Mazatzal offers access to remote wilderness you can experience without having to venture too far from the comforts of urban life.
Mazatzal Wilderness Area is a backpacker’s paradise
The more than 40 hiking trails at Mazatzal offer breathtaking Tonto National Forest scenery full of unforgettable wildlife and panoramic views. “…This ‘secret’ area has some of the most beautiful, interesting, fascinating geography, geology, flora and fauna to be found anywhere in the high Sonora Desert,” writes a reviewer on TripAdvisor. “You’re almost guaranteed to see not a single other person for your entire hike, but you’ll see birds, snakes, lizards, range cattle, desert bighorn sheep and who-knows-what other animals while getting a sense of what it must have been like a hundred years and more ago, the natural environment almost absent [of] the effects of human beings.” One of the most popular hikes includes the moderate, 6.2-mile Barnhardt Trail Waterfall, where the sound of birds singing will be your soundtrack as you hike through lush vegetation punctuated by red rocks and jagged cliffs to lookout points with sweeping views of the hazy rolling hills and olive-green forests below. A seasonal waterfall is your reward at the end. “Barnhardt trail is an absolute must, one of the top 5 classic hikes in Arizona,” says a reviewer on a forum for Backpacking Light.
Although gorgeous, many of the trails are challenging, with cat claw plants that snag on your clothing, treacherously steep inclines, and rocky, overgrown terrain where you can twist an ankle if you’re not careful. Portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail pass through the wilderness area, too, with the Arizona National Scenic Trail ranking number six in the list of the 11 U.S. National Scenic Hiking Trails ranked by difficulty.
Mazatzal offers primitive and dispersed camping throughout the wilderness area that can serve adventure-seeking backpackers and multi-day hikers with a remote wilderness camping experience. None of the campsites have toilets or any other facilities and all campers are encouraged to follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out all waste. Although glamping this is not, the campsites offer scenic views of ponderosa pine canyons and fire-red mountain ridges. For those looking looking to RV or car camp, Mazatzal is about a 40-minute drive from Payson, a high-elevation Arizona lakeside town where you can camp at one of the full-service campgrounds as well as shop, dine, and gamble at the Mazatzal Casino.
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A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
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