THE Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS Blues) men’s team led by Pinoz playing-coach Raymond Policarpio won the 2014 NSW Police Games basketball championship, dislodging defending champion NSW Hills District Police, 40-33, in the grand final at Stanhope Leisure Centre.
Earlier, coach Policarpio had struggled to assemble a squad because of injuries and other commitments of its mainstay players.
Further, he dad to rely on seven men to play six games in the one-day tournament by pacing their playing time.
The first game saw the Customs Blues collapse under NSW Hills District Police’s outside shots, 39-52, as former-Sydney Kings’ Dave Pollard asserted his might on the boards.
In the second game, the Blues shot to an early lead as they scuttled the mixed group champion NSW Police Detectives, 53-41, for its first win behind the torrid shooting of trio Jason Zacka (Airport Ops), Steve Drury (CC&A) and Jo Paolo Policarpio (Child Support Agency).
Starring shooting guard John deBelle (Investigations) and spiritual leader Nathan Aplitt (Compliance PTV), the subsequent games saw the ACBPS quintet coasting along as they waylaid NSW Corrective Services Prison guards, 59-39, and blasted NSW Ambulance, 67-51, to set a final showdown with their first round tormentors.
The grand final saw a change of tactics as Customs put up an early 19-9 first-half lead behind the direction of playing center Aplitt, who anchored transition plays behind the trio of Zacka, Drury and Policarpio.
It took the defensive stops of David Baker and Ricky Bautista in the second half with support from long toms of Policarpio, Zacka and Drury to put a stop to NSW Hills District Police aspirations of regaining the title,allowing ACBPS Blues to grab their first crown of the NSW Police Games, 40-33.
Scorers: Drury 58 points, J Policarpio 53 points and Zacka 49 points led the ACBPS Blues team in production.
The Mixed ACBPS crew went down, 36-46, to NSW Police Detectives for the bronze medal in the previous week’s mixed competition.
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PICTURES
Top: Customs playing-coach Ray Policarpio, far right, sets up a three-pointer as defenders rush to stop him.
Others: Action on the floor.
