Spinners claim bronze

The Australian under-23 men’s wheelchair basketball team has claimed a bronze medal at the 2013 IWBF Under-23 World Championships in Turkey.

Featuring five NSWIS athletes, the Spinners kicked off their campaign with a close loss to Sweden before easily accounting for Venezuela and Italy in their next two matches.

After losing to Turkey in the following match the Australians then secured a quarter-final berth with a win over Japan, before upsetting Iran 66-61 to book a spot in the final four.

Facing their first match opponents Sweden in the semi-final, the Australians fell agonisingly short once again with a 58-69 loss to set up a bronze medal showdown with traditional rivals Great Britain.

A stirring performance from the Australians saw the team secure an excellent 54-52 victory, with the go-ahead basket being scored just 30 seconds from full time. NSWIS athlete Luke Pople was outstanding in the final, scoring 19 points and seven rebounds, with fellow NSWIS athletes Michael Auprince, Colin Smith, Brad Fisher and Clarence Grogan joining him on medal dais.