In fact, it came after back-to-back victories by Courts Pacesetters last Saturday and Sunday night, which saw them romping home winners since they lost game one by one point 82-81 but bounced back to take game two 78-73 and closed out the Guyana champions, comfortably winning the toss up game.

Pacesetters responded to an early lead of Colts, soon after holding the edge 16-8 with 4:11 minutes gone in the opening quarter and then built an advantage by ten points 21-11 at the end of the first period.

Speedy guard Stephan Henry carried the early swing which had fans wrapped up in his dazzling shakes as he sparked the Setters' early pace, in tandem with forward Stephan Gillis and Jermaine Warde. They proved a tough combination for their rivals.

Pacesetters still held the lead at 24-15 and with over six minutes left. Then at 28-17, Colts looked to national forward Andrew Ifill who sank one from behind the arc with 3:36 to go to get them out of the rubble. But by then the signs looked ominous for the champions who were down at the half, 35-27.

As the third quarter began, coach Phillip George and captain Rondell Murphy seemed bent on winning with some emotional instructions that fell on deaf ears.

The wear and tear of a match-up with man-to-man marking proved too much for Colts as Pacesetters held the edge as the game became riddled with turnovers. Warde and company supported coach Bobby Cadogan's ploy to play hard inside and Warde scored on what was a three-point lay-up attempt.

But he failed to convert the freebie with his team up significantly, 45-34, with 6:08 remaining and then on the other end of the floor he blocked a shot, on his way to being the eventual Most Valuable Player of the final.

Warde scored again when his team found their rhythm taking a 47-34 edge on his short jumper. Henry was the trigger the setters pulled on to frustrate their opponents at times and on one of his lead breaks he scored for a 20-point advantage 56-36 with 2:32 to go in the third quarter before they held sway at 62-49.

Forward Mark Trotz then put his team up by ten when he scored with less than ten minutes to go for a 64-54 lead as Clarence Bennett nailed one "trey" to cut the lead to nine, trailing 57-66. Then Trotz was again on the scorers’ sheet when Setters were ahead 72-59 and with no real signs of a recovery by the top Guyana club, as Pacesetters out-scored them to deservedly take the Georgetown crown in the Open Classic tournament 83-65.

Andrew Ifill lit up the scoreboard for 23 points while Rondell Murphy got 13 in a losing effort. The combined scores from Warde with 19, Gillis 12 and ten each from Royston Siland and Neiland Loncke were the reasons behind the Courts Pacesetters’ victory. Colts had won the first game 82-81 and lost the second before this decider.

President of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association Chris Douglas appealed for support for basketball as he spoke at the conclusion of the tournament.

In the win on Saturday, which ended 78-73, Ifill filled the scoring sheet with 31 points for the losers while Loncke and Siland each got 15 points, Calvin Andrews 12 and Henry 11 for Pacesetters.