It was an air-tight match all the way with neither team leading by double-digit. Cokaliong Shipping posted a five-point edge at halftime, 21-16, but Lion-Tiger fought back in the third canto to seize a hairline lead, 42-41, heading into the final 10-minute mark of the contest.
Lion-Tiger was up by four points, 65-61, with 40 seconds left in the game, but Cokaliong Shipping mounted a gallant fight with Chester Cokaliong nailing a pair of free throws to pull within 63-65.
Cokaliong even had a chance to send the game into overtime after he received a long pass from Gilbert Gajudo with 15 ticks remaining before the final buzzer, but the dreaded streak-shooter fumbled as the ball was stripped from his hands by Erikson Ong as he was about to take off for the tie.
Cokaliong and his younger brother Christopher topped Cokaliong Shipping with 16 points apiece. Christopher also had 11 rebounds, while Gajudo, a member of last year's Mythical Five, was hobbled by jetlag and was held off to only eight points, although he had 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Richard Mercado posted 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a losing cause.
It was the first time that Cokaliong and Gajudo suffered defeat since they played together. The vaunted one-two punch powered Los Jefes de Cebu to the basketball championship of last month's 28th PAL Intersports behind a clean 5-0 win-loss slate.
Cokaliong also played for the first time with his eldest son Chase, who debuted with two points after going 1-of-5 from the field and had three rebounds.
Kent Ong and Edmund Gaisano led Lion-Tiger Aerosol with a combined 31-point output. Ironically, Ong and Gaisano were members of the Cokaliong Shipping champion team last year.
They were not retained in the lineup as they were picked by other teams in the draft as mandated in the Winner's League rules and regulations.
Lion-Tiger (65) - Ong 19, Gaisano 12, Ngo 9, Tan 8, Ong 6, Lim 5, Uy 4, Ong 2
Cokaliong Shipping (63) - Chester Cokaliong 16, Christopher Cokaliong 16, Mercado 11, Gajudo 8, Boholst 6, Gaw 4, Chase Cokaliong 2.