Barako Bull Energy vs Petron Blaze Boosters

MANILA, Philippines – Debuting Petron import Will McDonald didn’t help the Boosters’ cause in taking an early exit due to a flagrant infraction, an opening pounded by Barako Bull to pull off a key win.

Mick Pennisi achieved a personal milestone and earned the ire of McDonald as Barako Bull dumped Petron, 94-80, to enhance its playoff bid in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

“We’re surprised and we’re lucky with what happened. It would have been a different story had he (McDonald) been around to finish the game,” said Barako coach Junel Baculi on the incident involving McDonald and Pennisi.

McDonald was ejected just 14 minutes into the game after slamming the ball on Pennisi’s head. The new Petron import lost his temper on the rugged defense of the Barako center.

The Energy took advantage of McDonald’s banishment, bloating a 32-22 lead to 52-28 on a triple by Rodney White with 1:38 left in the first half.

White finished with a huge double-double game with 41 points and 22 rebounds as the Energy completed a rout of the Boosters and, in the process, tied the Alaska Milk Aces at fifth place at 4-4.

Petron slid further down the leader board at eighth with a 3-5 card. The Boosters need to win their last game against the Talk n Text Tropang Texters to have a shot at a playoff for the last quarters seat.

“After languishing in ninth and eighth places, we’re now in fifth. We’re almost there (the playoffs),” said Baculi. “It’s unlike the last conference where we started strong then went kaput. A little bit of luck and we may enter the quarterfinals.”

Pennisi, Willie Miller and Ronald Tubid provided the needed support to their import as they made two triples each and wound up with a combined total output of 37 points.

Pennisi, a 12-year veteran, became only the eighth player to have logged 700 career triples. Allan Caidic leads the all-time ranking with 1,242 followed by Ronnie Magsanoc with 1,171 and Al Solis with 1,000.

The Barako behemoth proved to be a giant factor in the game for earning the ire of McDonald on his pesky defense.

He elicited laughter from everybody in the venue on his delayed “overacting” on McDonald’s action.

Still down on the floor, Pennisi himself laughed seeing himself on the slo-mo replays on the Big Dome giant TV screen.

“I think I’m going into acting when my career is over,” said Pennisi.

McDonald, who took over from Nick Fazekas fresh from the Chinese league, got to play only 13 minutes, logging seven points, five rebounds and one steal against three turnovers.

But even when McDonald was there, the Energy set the pace, taking the opening quarter at 30-20.