"Extra Oomph" Helps Lakewood Police to Victory In Helmets Vs. Shields Game

In the end, the outcome didn’t matter.

But the Lakewood Police Department wasn’t exactly complaining.

A year after losing to West Pierce Fire & Rescue - which covers University Place and Lakewood - the police came roaring back, 75-50, in Saturday night’s seventh annual Helmets Vs. Shields charity basketball game. The game, played at Pierce College, raises money for the Lakewood Officers’ Charity and West Pierce CARES.

About 250 people were in attendance on the unexpectedly warm evening – fewer than last year – but the charities will get about $5,000 each. The groups fundraise throughout the year for their community outreach projects, the largest of which take place during the holidays – both involving Santa and gifts for needy children (sleigh with sirens optional).

“Anytime you can come together and raise money, it’s win-win for everybody,” said Officer Tim Borchardt, president of the Lakewood Officers’ Charity.

Fire Capt. Mike Harn felt similarly. He has participated in every game.

“The best thing is that we get to make some money for people who don’t have a whole lot,” he said. “When you can deliver some Christmas presents in December to a family who has nothing, then winning or losing really doesn’t matter.”

Not to say that the score doesn’t factor in.

The police got off to a quick start and never trailed – at one point leading by 28 – to capture just their second victory in seven years.

“I think the police department all played well,” said Officer Noah Dier, who has played every year since 2009. “We didn’t know who the new guys would be (on West Pierce’s team), so we practiced and did our best, but we didn’t know what to expect.”

Firefighter Layne Bladow, who was in his first stint coaching the West Pierce team after playing in the previous six games, was a bit more technical in his analysis of his team’s breakdown.

“I think they beat us on the hardwood,” he said, playing the part of an NBA coach in a suit, tie and carrying a clipboard. “It appears that they had more time to do a little more practice.

“We played with hustle, we played with desire and it just didn’t show on the bottom line.”

Harn was a bit more succinct.

“We got worked over good.”

Still, both teams put on a good show, with the crowd of all ages cheering for family members, objecting to calls and milling around the gym and the lobby, where a silent auction was under way. Dier’s kids wore special shirts with his name on the back; another player’s children made two huge signs that read “GO DADA!”

At halftime, more than 30 children who participated in the Helmets Vs. Shields youth skills camp on Saturday afternoon took to the court to show off the skills they had learned from coaches from both departments.

Several of the players had experience at the high-school or college level, and their skills were evident during the game as they hit jumpers, made layups and even drilled some 3-pointers.

“We had an idea of what we wanted to do, and it worked,” Borchardt said. “We came out with a little extra oomph.”

And, of course, the evening wouldn’t have been complete without some added pizzazz from Officer Jeremy James, who is known to sport a different wig every game – “I try to change it up” – and this year opted for a curly, Rick James-esque hairpiece.

It fell off as he lunged for the ball in the first quarter – but that was the least of his problems.

Limping slightly after his fifth stint in the annual game, he lamented, “I’m an old man.”

Borchardt, on the other hand, said he works out to avoid “destroying myself” against the fire department.

Besides, he added with a little laugh, “I’ve got to work tomorrow.”