By Matt DeGeroge
As the Archbishop Carroll coaching staff gathered outside the Patriots’ locker room at Archbishop Ryan High School Friday night, silence replaced their customary postgame huddle.
Silence in the waning moments — of a superstar turned spectator, of a shot hitting nothing but air, of a ball bouncing out of bounds as Carroll helplessly watched the final second of its season tick away — made that final locker room session so somber.
When the chips were down and the clichés of all kinds were in play, Carroll just didn’t have enough Friday, dropping a 52-51 heartbreaker to Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals.
Three times, Carroll had the ball, down 50-49. The three shots? A runner off back iron by reserve guard Josh Sharkey, a shot that wouldn’t go for Austin Tilghman and an air-balled 3-pointer by ninth-guy-off-the-bench Ryan Daly (whose 3-point shooting kept Carroll in the game).