By Matthew DeGeorge
Ryan Wootten didn’t exactly see his basketball life flash before his eyes Sunday evening. But had the tape rolled as he released the last 3-point attempt of his high school career, it would’ve made for one heck of a film.
The senior guard has powered Garnet Valley’s steady redefinition of what constitutes the best season in program history. From a District 1 tournament home game, to a Central League title and a District 1 Class 6A final, to Sunday’s second round of the PIAA tournament, Wootten has been at the leading edge of the Jags’ growth.
That was too much to occupy his mind as he planted his feet 34 feet from the basket at Bethlehem Freedom High and let fly as the overtime horn sounded. It wouldn’t sink in until some minutes after the shot had clanged the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard and out, giving District 2 champion Scranton a 52-49 overtime win.
Although the Jaguars’ postseason run – from the 24th and final team into districts to the program’s first states win since 1997 – thus ended, the echoes will last much longer than the sound of ball hitting iron at the Joseph J. McIntyre Gymnasium.