Arizona
AuburnSports – Auburn WBB to face Arizona in First Four
Auburn is going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
The Tigers earned an 11-seed, but will have to face fellow 11-seed Arizona in the First Four before truly getting to the Round of 64. It will be in Stores, Conn., with specific dates and times still unknown.
“Weâre excited to be in and weâll just prepare to play that play-in game,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “Thatâs just another opportunity for our team to play.”
Harris becomes the second Auburn coach to reach the NCAA Tournament by her third season, joining Hall of Fame Coach Joe Ciampi with the accomplishment.
There won’t be much time to rest for Harris and her coaching staff over the next few days.
“Weâll work all night,” Harris said. “My staff is really good about getting scouting reports. Weâve had our kids going through a lot of different scenarios. Weâve been practicing, preparing. The best thing about this team is weâre gonna do what we do best. Weâll go through the scouting report tomorrow and the next day, weâll be ready.”
Auburn’s opponent is Arizona, which earned an at-large bid by going 17-15 overall with an 8-10 conference record in the Pac 12. It boasts two top-25 wins, taking down No. 11 Utah in early January and upsetting No. 3 Stanford on the road last month.
What does Harris like about her team heading into the tournament?
“I like our team’s resilience,” Harris said. “I think we bounce back really well, I think our team has some toughness, so weâll put all that together and take it on the road to Connecticut and put our best foot forward.”
Auburn’s leading scorer, Honesty Scott-Grayson, finally gets to dance in her last dance.
“I am really excited for that,” Harris said. “Honesty, this is what she came back for. She wanted to help get this team back to the tournament where she felt like it should be.”
Not to mention the rest of the seniors that helped this program back to its first appearance in five seasons.
“Iâm just really grateful for [Scott-Grayson], for [JaMya Mingo-Young], for Carsen (McFadden), all those kids coming in, for Taylen (Collins) coming in, buying into a system, to a program,” Harris said. “All those kids have been leaders, they have led this team and that is why weâre here right now.”
Federal and state officials imposed new fire restrictions across a large portion of central Arizona ahead of a weekend forecasted to bring hot, dry winds that could increase wildfire danger.
On Friday, May 15, Tonto National Forest enacted Stage 1 fire restrictions across the entire forest, while the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management announced similar restrictions for state trust lands in Gila, Maricopa, and Pinal counties.
The restrictions come as fire officials reported major progress on two wildfires in the region, potentially freeing up firefighting resources for future incidents. The Forestry Department announced that the Hazen Fire, which burned nearly 1,200 acres of dense tamarisk along the Gila River near Buckeye, had reached 100% containment. Meanwhile, the Jones Fire near Wickenburg, which prompted evacuations and was also fueled by tamarisk vegetation, was reported at 90% containment.
Tonto National Forest prohibited campfires and the use of wood-, charcoal-, or coal-burning stoves outside Forest Service-provided fire structures. Liquid petroleum or LPG stoves are still allowed if they can be switched off and are kept at least three feet away from overhead or surrounding flammable materials. Similar restrictions apply on state lands, except fires are permitted in developed campsites or picnic areas. The ban also extends to wildlife areas managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, state parks, and highway rights-of-way.
The National Weather Service forecasted high temperatures in the upper 90s across metro Phoenix through Saturday, cooling slightly into the upper 80s and low 90s by Sunday. In Arizona’s high country, forecasters warned of elevated fire danger due to low humidity and strong southwest winds, with gusts expected between 20 and 30 mph on Saturday and 25 to 40 mph on Sunday.
“Gusty winds, dry fuels, and low humidity will lead to critical fire weather danger with easier fire starts and uncontrollable spread of new or existing fires,” the agency said in its Friday afternoon briefing.
The weather service declared a red flag warning for the Tonto National Forest and for southern Gila County, effective Sunday. The agency’s Tucson office also put out a Sunday, May 17, red flag warning covering Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties, and the far eastern parts of Pinal and Pima counties.
Beyond the fire prohibition, the Tonto’s restrictions ban recreational shooting except for legal hunting activity.
The Tonto fire restrictions are in place through Sept. 30 unless rescinded. The state order is in effect until further notice.
Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.
Dozens of bright yellow jets once operated by Spirit Airlines are now sitting idle in the Arizona desert after being repossessed by leasing companies, according to aviation officials.
The aircraft are currently parked in a storage field following the shutdown of operations involving the planes. Industry experts say the jets were not owned directly by Spirit Airlines, but instead leased through outside companies that quickly moved to reclaim the aircraft.
One aviation contractor involved in the process said crews had only a matter of hours to coordinate the recovery effort and relocate the planes.
That process included hiring former Spirit pilots who had suddenly found themselves out of work to help ferry the aircraft to storage facilities in Arizona.
“The reason I’m empathetic to all this is because I’ve been in the same situation four or five times,” one aviation worker said. “I was with airlines that closed their doors overnight. I woke up the next morning not having a job. I’m worried about how I’m going to make my mortgage, how I can pay for health care. I have little kids.”
Officials say the future of the aircraft remains uncertain. Depending on what the leasing companies decide, the planes could eventually return to service with another airline, be dismantled for parts, or scrapped altogether.
Spirit Airlines has not announced whether the aircraft could return to operations.
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