MANILA, 10 January 2008 — Mick Pennisi’s career game that came almost eight years after his first may ultimately mean little for Red Bull in the end.
Pennisi scored 29 points built around five three-pointers last night that carried the Barako to an easy 116-99 victory over Coca-Cola in the Philippine Cup, a win that did not guarantee Red Bull anything other than safe passage to the quarterfinals.
“I guess I just got lucky,” the humble 6-foot-7 center, who missed just three three-point attempts, said. It was Pennisi’s brightest offensive game since he scored 27 in a 73-91 loss to Alaska in his rookie year in 2000.
“It just happened that tonight, they left me alone (in the perimeter). This win was more for our confidence more than anything.”
Red Bull improved to 10-7, now tied with Alaska for third spot. But the fates of both squads are in the hands of the Sta. Lucia Realtors, who could book the second automatic semifinal berth against Air21 on Sunday.
As things stand, Purefoods already won the first Final Four seat and the Realtors have earned at least a playoff for the second after roaring to their seventh straight win last week, 99-77, over Magnolia, to be at 11-6.
The Tender Juicy Giants have a 12-4 record and are in the semifinals even if they lose their last two games since no other team other than Sta. Lucia can get to 12 wins with still a full week left in the elimination round.
And coach Yeng Guiao echoed Pennisi’s assessment.
“This (win) is just to get back our confidence,” Guiao said after the victory at the Cuneta Astrodome. “We’ve been struggling (lately) and a win is always something to boost our morale. What we are just trying to accomplish right now is a better record (for the quarterfinals) and a chance for a playoff (for the second outright semifinal seat).
“But I think that (playoff) is highly unlikely at this point.” Red Bull flaunted control right from the opening tip, building double-digit leads early in the second quarter to cruise to the win which snapped a two-game losing streak, which the team could ultimately look back to as the reasons why they failed to march to the semifinals outright.
Junthy Valenzuela, who along with Pennisi belong to the original Red Bull team that entered the league as an expansion squad in 2000, scattered 22 points, while Cyrus Baguio chipped in with 21 to complete a three-sided battering ram that gave the Tigers no chance.
Asi Taulava scored 12 points in the first period but was held down to the same number the rest of the way for 24 and eight rebounds. But his efforts weren’t enough to keep the Tigers from losing a third straight game and 11th in 17 matches overall.
That pulled the Tigers down to ninth in the standings and in danger of having the worst position in the wildcard phase.
Meanwhile, the crucial board meeting that would have named a new commissioner today was reset for another week, with chairman Tony Chua postponing it to attend to a pressing personal matter in Hong Kong .
But talk has been loud the past couple of days that the matter remains unresolved as teams remained divided on whom between Lambert Ramos and Chito Salud would become the seventh PBA boss.
The first two rounds of voting held last Dec. 17 ended in 5-4 deadlocks, and an Arab News source, a team owner who requested that he is not identified, said that the score remains that way as of this writing, hence the postponement.
Air21 fortified its position in the upperhand of the wildcard phase later after tripping luckless Welcoat, 105-86, in the second game.
Arwind Santos and Nino Canaleta scored 22 points each and three others turned in twin digit scores for the Express, who rose to 7-10 to stay in eighth spot.
Welcoat lost for the 10th straight game despite welcoming back top rookie pick Joe Devance, who scored 18 points.
