Although they were already relegated in the wild card phase long time ago, the Tigers surprised almost everybody when they engaged the Realtors in a torrid shootout in the first three quarters.

But when the opportunity presented itself, the Tigers immediately pounced on it to finish their campaign in the classification stage on a high note.

They wound up with a 5-13 record.

Veteran wingman John Arigo came through with another impressive performance, firing 23 points, including 16 in the final frame. Though he was 5-of-14 from the field but he was perfect from the foul line as he made all his 12 attempts.

The Realtors slipped to 10-8 and could end up in a playoff for the second automatic quarterfinal berth.

In the second game, Alaska Milk also denied defending champion Purefoods of an outright quarterfinal berth scoring a 96-92 win.

With the win, the Aces finished the stage with an 8-10 mark.

That is if Talk ’N Text (9-8) wins its last assignment against league-leading Ginebra.

In case there will be a playoff match, the game is set Jan. 3, if not, the wild card will start Jan 5.

"I told my players that we’re playing a tough team that is going all-out because the game is important to them more than for us. They’re aiming for that outright quarterfinal," said Coke coach Binky Favis. "I just told them to enjoy the game. It’s a good win for us. Hopefully we can have that (winning) attitude in the wild card."

The Tigers actually dictated the tempo, leading by 12 several times, the last at 43-31 with 52 seconds to go in the second quarter.

However, the Realtors slowly inched their way back to the contest.

A three-pointer by Fil-American rookie Kelly Willams, this year’s top over pick, gave them the lead, 62-60, thus setting the tone for a dramatic finish.

They event stretched their lead to 75-71 on a triple by Palo Mendoza but Arigo answered back with six straight points while Ali Peek added a jumper that gave Coke the lead for good, 79-75.