In the end, Justine Sanchez had the last laugh against his teammates at College of St. Benilde.
Sanchez and the rest of the Davao Occidental Tigers outlasted the SGA-supported Blazers, 82-76, to prime themselves ahead of the playoffs in the PSL President’s Cup just recently at the Filoil-EcoOil Centre.
Sanchez watched his more experienced teammates at the Tigers prevailing by showing their poise in the endgame.
The 6-foot-3 Sanchez capped the win with two free throws with nine seconds left for the final tally.
On the other hand, the young Blazers flubbed and floundered down the stretch, allowing Davao Occidental to book its 12th win in 16 games and fortified its hold at the No.6 spot.
The Tigers are now just half a game behind fifth placer Caloocan as the race to the playoffs start to heat up.
Only 16 teams from the 19 participating squads will advance to the playoffs with the top eight ball clubs securing a twice-to-beat advantage.
The Blazers absorbed their sixth loss in 17 games, but remained in the hunt for the twice-to-beat as they are in seventh spot.
