Regrettably Hastings Boys' woes continued leading up to and in the tourney.
Edwards, a two-year starter, broke his hand while versatile guard and another two-year starter Tuehu Spooner had broken his foot.
During the tourney, Elliot Edwards sprained his ankle in the last pool game.
"When Marcos and Tuehu went down, I'm like, 'okay, let's try to make the top four' but when Elliot sprained his ankle I thought, 'Wow, it's going to be bloody tough'," Wooten said. "If we had one more body we would have probably got them [Hamilton]."
Hastings beat Tauranga Boys' 77-66 first up but butchered an early 28-point lead in the fourth quarter.
He says the rookies did not play to their potential. Jones-Mitchell claimed a double-double 25 points and collected 16 rebounds. Latrell Ah Kiong scored 18 points, Miller added 11 and Josh Tarrega took six steals for the collective cause.
Hastings Boys' beat New Plymouth Boys' 88-56 next, holding them to five points in the third and seven in the final quarter. Miller top-scored with 20, Jones-Mitchell chimed in with 18 and Ah Kiong added 17.
"The rookies played much better in the fourth quarter this time and helped extend the lead," says Wooten.
Gisborne Boys' High were their next victims, stumbling 93-58 with Wooten rotating everyone for court time despite the injury putting out Elliot Edwards for four to six weeks.
The prospect of beating Hamilton Boys' High, the best team from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty catchment area, in the semifinals excited the boys.
Hastings Boys' led 37-31 at halftime, were tied 49-49 at the end of the third spell and were still in the hunt as they sat two points adrift with three minutes to go in the final quarter but Hamilton shook them down 78-69.
Jones-Mitchell scored 32 points.
In the 3rd/4th playoffs Hastings Boys' again overwhelmed New Plymouth Boys' 79-68.
Jones-Mitchell claimed a match-high 40 points and collected 15 rebounds.
The Taylor Corp Hawks player averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds at the tourney.
"All the coaches were raving on about how good Ice [Mitchell-Jones] was," said Wooten of the 17-year-old. "He was by far the most dominant player there."
No tournament team was selected but, he says, if Hastings Boys had made the final Jones-Mitchell would have been a finalist for MVP.
"Josh Tarrega and Latrell Ah Kiong would have been very close to making the all-tournament team."
Hastings Boys' are now turning their attention to the provincial regional qualifying tourney to be staged from September 7-9.
They won the zone 3 tourney, the second toughest behind the Auckland/Northshore one, two years ago but this time they are simply looking at making the top four to ensure they book a berth to the nationals although the top six qualify.
"In the 20 years that I've been here, only twice we haven't made the nationals."
Last year Hastings lost the services of Mitchell-Jones and fellow New Zealand 3x3 representative Willie Heather to schools outside of the Bay.
With his casualty list, Wooten said making the top four at the qualifying tourney to give his teenagers a chance to clinch the crown was the motive.
Palmerston North Boys' are favourites although when Hastings beat them the opposition did not have their "legit" seven-footer, Tallun McCrae, and his team didn't have Jones-Mitchell.
"Four years will tell whether Tallun will be in an NBA draft pick or not," he said with a laugh.
