After an impressive championship run, the Orlando Comets' coaching staff had some unexpected words of wisdom for their team.

"We've got to be on the bus by 5 o'clock. If we leave by then, we can get back home by midnight," stressed head coach Garfield Blair.

The Comets capped off a remarkable weekend with a 47-40 victory over the Georgia Hoopstars II on Sunday afternoon to capture the under-16 Super Division Championship of the Garden City Roundball Classic at Riverview Park in North Augusta.

This weekend's tournament brought together top teams from across the South to compete in several age groups.

The premier division, however, was the under-16 Super Division, which featured the tournament host and hometown favorite GA/Lina 76ers.

The GA/Lina team failed to reach the championship game, falling to the Hoopstars II in the semifinals Sunday.

Heading into the final, Hoopstars head coach J.D. Davis admitted his team had already exceeded expectations.

"We knew that this was a very hard tournament. We honestly didn't expect to get to the championship game, but we played very hard to get here," Davis said.

Although the Comets claim to be underdogs, they have shown otherwise this season. Orlando has played more than 50 games and has only one loss to show for their efforts. Its semifinal victory over DFW Elite was the first loss of the year for DFW, one of the best teams in the nation.

The Comets set the tone from the start, stifling the Hoopstars' shooters in the first half and forcing several early turnovers with their aggressive defense.

Orlando combined its collapsing defense with solid post offense from 6-foot-4 center Krystal Thomas, who scored 11 points and blocked several shots.

"Coach told us to keep our heads up and stay focused," Thomas said. "We always play hard because we are always the underdog coming into these tournaments because we are a 15-under team. We play with a chip on our shoulder, and we always show more heart than the other team."